Sweeter Than This
by pineappletini
Summary: From the tumblr prompt: Soulmate au where when you write something on your skin with pen/marker/whatever the hell you want, it will show up on your soul mates skin as well. Staubrey with side Bechloe
1. Chapter 1 (Prologue)

_Welcome this new tumblr AU prompt, which I just couldn't say no to. It's mainly Staubrey with a Bechloe side pairing, because why the hell not. Comes complete with Steca and Chaubrey friendships and enough snark and fluff to satisfy the angstiest teenager. (That's not actually true, don't hold me to that.)_

 _Like_ Your Heart _, it's going to be updated sporadically, so don't hold your breath for new chapters. Enjoy it and don't be afraid to comment!_

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 _you read your book, baby I'll float away  
_ _taking a nap on your lap in the shade,  
i could hold your hand all day  
if it gets any sweeter than this,  
i don't wanna know_

 _katie herzig "sweeter than this"_

They first learn about soulmates in kindergarten. It's an exciting day, really, as most of the children in Stacie's class have no idea why they get mysterious, but usually colorful, marks on their arms. For Stacie, whose parents had to explain to her why the ugly shade of neon pink highlighter wouldn't wash off her arm, it's old news.

She knows nothing about her soulmate, of course. Only that in her very oldest baby pictures, there was usually a mark appearing somewhere on her skin. Sometimes the mark would only be a blip on the canvas of Stacie's body, other times they stayed for hours or even days. The times the marks stayed for days worried Stacie's parents endlessly – what kind of parent doesn't keep an eye on their child enough to wash them of the self-coloring they inevitably get into? Needless to say, throughout Stacie's short five-year-old life, she's gotten quite used to being a walking masterpiece.

"Now who here has ever had a mark from a marker on them somewhere that just wouldn't go away?" Her teacher asks, smiling brightly when most of the hands shoot into the air, Stacie's included. "Can anybody tell me why that is?"

Stacie's best friend speaks up before the teacher can call on another raised hand. "My mom says it's your other half trying to talk to you and let you know how much they love you by drawing pictures. But my dad says it's them being a de…de-link-went," she scrunches her face up around the word as if she doesn't like the taste of it.

The teacher, Mrs. Sanders, shakes her head. "Your mother is correct, Beca. It's your soulmate. The person who you are most connected to in the world."

At this, Stacie raises her hand. When her parents explained to her why the marks wouldn't go away, she wanted to do more research. And since learning how to read well in preschool, her parents gave her a book explaining the term and how it comes to fruition.

"Yes, Stacie?" The teacher asks, a little weariness seeping into her tone. It's not the first time Stacie has hijacked the class.

"Soulmates aren't only the people we're most connected to Mrs. Sanders," she says. Her honest tone and wide, genuine eyes wash away any resentment the teacher felt.

"Would you like to explain more then, Stacie?"

Stacie nods excitedly and stands up, moving to the front of the class next to her teacher and facing her peers. She sees bored expressions on most of the kids faces, some looking out the window, already lost from the conversations, and others fidgeting in their seats. One weird kid, Bumper, is picking in his bellybutton and flicking whatever goo is in there onto his desk. Beca, though, is looking at her with wide and excited eyes.

Like Stacie, Beca's had marks on her for as long as she can remember. From little drawings, to colorful squiggles. Unlike Stacie, however, hers never last long. But that doesn't mean that Beca never gets excited when she sees them.

She clears her throat and speaks up, her clear voice catching the attention of some of her classmates. "Soulmates originate from the beginning of the universe," Stacie recites, her eyes fixated at one point in the back of the room as she tries to internally summarize what she read. "They are the a-toms that you were closest with when space was created and all the stars went into the night sky." Now, most of the class is listening to her, each student loving space after a field trip to a conservatory the week before.

"When the a-toms return to the Earth, they go in search of their other half, but sometimes they're hard to find. The sun, seeing how sad the Toms were, decided to give them the gift of finding their other half by letting whatever they draw show up on their partner's body until they wash it off."

Stacie smiles proudly as the teacher applauds.

"That was very well-said, Stacie. Though, it's atoms dear, not a-toms."

"Oh," she looks down embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Sanders."

"You did very well," her teacher gave her a sticker and nudged her back to her seat. "Now let me finish explaining."

Stacie gladly grabbed the sticker of a rainbow and skipped back to her seat, smiling at Beca as she sat down.

"Now Stacie was correct in saying that whatever you draw shows up on your soulmate's body until you wash it off. But you need to be careful," she warned, her eyes roaming over her students, making sure they were paying attention. "You don't know your soulmate yet and you don't know who they are. It's risky trying to talk to them, as they may not speak English or may get offended by something you say. So make sure that when you start talking to your soulmate, that you are ready."

One of the children, a quieter boy named Ryan raised his hand. "What if you don't got any marks?"

"Well," Mrs. Sanders said with a quiet sigh. "That could mean a few things. One, your soulmate isn't born or isn't capable of using a writing utensil yet."

"Oh, okay," he agrees easily, sated by his answer.

Stacie chances a glance at Beca, who is looking at Ryan like he's an idiot. They both know the other options of not having any marks appear. One, the death of a soulmate, and another the incapability of the soulmate to reply for any reason. Neither option Stacie likes thinking about and makes her rub the purple heart that showed up on the back of her hand earlier in the day thankfully.

She will meet them one day, she's sure of it. And she can't wait until that day happens.


	2. Chapter 2

_A big thanks goes out to Knappster for being my sounding board for this chapter! Without her this chapter probably wouldn't have been finished for a while. So if you haven't yet, you can thank her by going and reading some of her fics._

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Aubrey tries very hard to not ask for a lot. She's perfectly content living the life she has. Her parents make sure her needs are covered, she's got friends and high grades, she's the president of several school clubs. There isn't much that Aubrey needs to ask for.

But one thing, just one little favor in the sixteen years she's been alive she asks of her soulmate – no marks on June 27th – is the only thing she has ever asked her soulmate to do for her. And they can't even do that.

A few weeks prior to the date, when the planning of her coming out debut at her mother's chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, she contacts her soulmate intentionally. It's the first time she's actually done anything to actively talk to them, though her soulmate is quiet the opposite. But she figures, with a day as important as that, and it being the first time she's asked them of anything, it would be a little rude to not comply with her wishes. Right?

So she asks in the afternoon. She takes an easily washable, but still visible pen to her wrist as she writes down the first words she's said to her soulmate in her life.

 _Hi there._

It's simple, maybe. But after several lectures from her parents and her nannies about why it is improper for a lady to constantly have doodles on her skin, she doesn't often write notes or reminders on herself.

The response comes quickly.

 _Hi! Im so glad to finally talk to you_

The writing is as girly as Aubrey has ever seen it. Which confuses her and brings up anxiety-inducing thoughts that she'd rather not dwell on at the very moment. The print is neat though, and easy to read despite the difficulties in writing on one's own skin.

 _This is going to sound weird, I know,_ Aubrey writes back, _but I really need you to do me a favor._

The response is slightly slower, but still comes in a timely manner.

 _What can I do for you? :)_

Aubrey breathes a sigh of relief and tries to write quickly so she can wash off the marks before her father comes home and berates her.

 _On June 27_ _th_ _, I have a very important… thing, and I need to have absolutely clear skin. No marks at all._

It's unlikely that she'd have any marks on her anyway. Her soulmate seems to respect Aubrey's limitations when it comes to marks and keeps the messages few and far between. She doesn't know how she knows, but when Aubrey's having a tough day she always finds a small doodle on her own body, courtesy of her soulmate. It always makes Aubrey's day when she finds it, but besides the intentional marks, there are more often than not unintentional marks. A stray pen mark on her finger, ink smudged on her wrist, the occasional reminder written on the back of her hand. One time Aubrey found a streak of blue marker on her chin, and after frantically searching her belongings for the offending marker, realized it was on her soulmate's chin.

Though Aubrey is appreciative of the effort her soulmate puts in to their relationship, after the last time her father came home to find her drawing on herself, she hasn't intentionally marked herself in any way before this conversation.

 _I can do that. No probs. No marks on 6/27. I promise._

Aubrey smiles and breathes a sigh of relief. The day was planned, her dress purchased and fitted, her grand entrance practiced with the butler multiple times. Aubrey was ready. More than that, she felt so ready there was no anxiety residing over the day.

The night before she writes a quick reminder on the back of her hand, _Remember, no marks tomorrow, please._ And goes to bed. When she wakes, her message, still clear on the back of her hand, is accompanied by a succinct _OK_ from her soulmate.

The morning is spent in a flurry of getting ready. Her makeup is applied with a light hand and accentuates her natural features, bringing out the green in her eyes and the natural lift of her cheekbones. Her hair is smoothed and pinned and curled to perfection and she couldn't be happier.

It's when she's waiting on her father to get ready to walk down the stairs that she starts to get a little nervous.

It isn't that she's anxious for the coming out as a woman, no. She's been ready for that for ages it seems. Her mother has trained her from a young age to always act properly and hold herself steady and not let emotions rule her. She's nervous for other reasons.

From a young age, Aubrey has always liked to be prepared. On her first day of school, she woke up an hour earlier than she normally does and went to the kitchen to prepare her own breakfast. She ended up having nothing to do, already having dressed and packed and repacked her backpack before going downstairs, so she waited patiently for her parents to wake up and start their day. She was waiting so quietly and so still, that her mother didn't notice her presence in the kitchen, seated at the island, until she had already filled her coffee and spun around. The shriek and the shattering of the ceramic cup on the tile told the nanny where her charge was, and little Aubrey was spirited away.

Since then, Aubrey tries to rein her enthusiasm and preparedness back without actually altering her planning. But with so many unknowns present here, she can't help the slight shake in her hand or the tremor in her breathing while she waits for her father to make his appearance.

It's less than five minutes until she's due to descend the grand staircase into the hall, announcing her status as a woman to the world, when her father arrives. He looks her up and down and nods once, not voicing his approval, but not saying anything that would imply he is unhappy with her appearance. The nod makes Aubrey feel proud and she allows herself to take a deep breath and stand a little taller.

Her name is announced soon after, and as her father gently takes her arm and the spotlight finds them, Aubrey can feel a new sense of self filling her. She is proper. She is a lady. She will make her father proud.

Of course, it's halfway down the staircase when that image is abruptly shattered.

"Aubrey, what is _that_ on your arm?" Her father hisses, glaring sharply at the arm she has wrapped around his.

She looks down, confused, as she didn't have anything on her arm a second ago. Her eyes widen as a slow, but deliberate red line starts to wind its jagged way across the expanse of her forearm. It stops when it reaches her wrist before another blob, purple this time, starts to take shape. She gasps and immediately feels her cheeks brighten in shame.

"I-I don't know," she stammers, her eyes starting to water. Whatever pride she was feeling wavers viciously and she can feel her stomach clench in fear of her father's retribution.

"Did you not inform your mate about today?" His voice is cold, hard. He is no longer looking at her, but ahead, as if the very sight of her angers him and any acknowledgement hereafter would only serve to embarrass him further.

"I did, sir. They promised not to mark anything."

He looks sharply at her now and she hold back a flinch at the unforgiving glint of anger in his eye. "Posens do not hold others to promises, Aubrey. We hold others to their word. If you cannot contain your mate, you are not the Posen I raised you to be. Fix this," he finishes harshly as they come to the bottom of the stairs. As soon as the spotlight is off of them he drops her arm and walks away.

Aubrey holds her arm trying to hide the colors spreading futilely as she looks around for the sign to a bathroom, or at least a friendly face. She finds none, to no surprise. The room is packed, other members of the DAR crowding the staircase to see the debutants enter the world of womanhood. She can see a few of the older ladies looking at her disdainfully, their eyes flicking from her face to her arm before clucking and shaking their heads, no doubt thinking about what a fool she is.

She can imagine what the story this will be. Aubrey Posen's soulmate ruining her coming out by drawing – poorly, even – on her arm. She'll be the talk of the town. The laughing stock of her class.

She gently makes her way through the crowd, trying to make as little of a scene as possible. She's holding onto her tears well enough, they're only a shine in her eye, she knows, but the marks on her arm have turned into a full-on drawing and is only growing bigger and more detailed.

She sees her father over in the corner standing next to her mother. Her father is staring stonily ahead, pretending to watch the other young ladies descend the staircase, but Aubrey can tell by the set of his jaw that he is upset. Angry, even. Her mother is no better, her lips set in a firm line as her hands clench and unclench around the clutch in her hand. No doubt her father told her mother of the debacle.

Aubrey lowers her head in shame and rushes though the hall to find an abandoned hallway where she lowers herself to the ground and allows her tears to fall. Never in her life has she been so humiliated. In front of her parents, her peers, and useful connections she could use later on in life, she has been made a fool.

She holds out her arm and glares at it, cursing whatever power responsible for soulmates. The drawing has taken shape now. The red line turning into a flower and the purple blob a butterfly. There are more colors now, taking over the skin of her forearm – green for the stem and the grass, blue for the sky, what looks like orange for some kind of long blob with a smiley face – a caterpillar perhaps? Aubrey isn't sure, but from what she's seen of her soulmate's art over the years, it's strangely reminiscent of their younger, pre-K days.

Almost as if hit by a truck, anger crashes into Aubrey, hot and fast. She's so angry at the whole institution. Posens aren't made to look like fools, and she has let down her family. She has embarrassed her mother, who will no doubt hold it against her if it costs her her position as head of this chapter of the DAR. Her father was so angry with her he could barely contain himself, and by the time they were no longer forced to be together by this society's rules, he bolted. As if the very thought of her disgusted him.

This person, this _soulmate_ , Aubrey internally sneers at the term, has ashamed her. They embarrassed her, disappointed her parents, and worst of all to Aubrey, they broke a promise. The one thing Aubrey has ever asked of them to do. She's so angry, she can't even help herself when she asks a nearby waiter for the pen in his pocket.

She thinks of what to say, the anger still boiling furiously in her stomach when she looks to her arm to notice the drawing has continued there, too, blocking out whatever writing material she would have had to talk. Grinding her teeth, Aubrey stands and finds the bathroom, settling herself in one of the stalls.

She quickly uncaps the pen and pulls up the skirt of her dress, revealing her thigh and starts furiously writing.

 _I can't believe you would do that to me,_ she starts. Once the words start flowing, the anger starts to release itself and she feels better almost immediately. _I ask of you one thing, a favor, really, that you not mark yourself for one day. It's not even an outlandish request, as you rarely ever leave marks anymore, so I don't know why you would decide that today, the day I specifically asked for clear skin, would be the day you decide to pull this ridiculous stunt._

She grits her teeth and continues to write, pinching the underside of her thigh to tighten the skin on the top so it's more legible.

 _I've always been taught that soulmates are your other half; that they'll inevitably be there for you and support you in any way possible. They know your needs without you having to voice them. So why couldn't you feel how important this day was to me? Better yet, if you couldn't feel it, how could you not tell by my actual willingness to talk to you? Your little stunt today proved to me, not only is that complete and utter bullshit, but that you obviously don't know of my needs and can't support me at all. Not only that, but you can't keep a promise, and that's a trait I simply cannot see myself supporting in any potential partner, much less a soulmate._

 _Granted, we don't know each other at all. But from what I know of you is that you are a childish, petty, untrustworthy person, and you are in no way suitable for me at all. You have not only ashamed me, but my family as well._

 _I hope you're proud of yourself. Do not talk to me, do not try to find me, do not mark yourself further than necessary. I have no desire to ever know you or see you. I no longer have a soulmate._

Posens are proud, proper, and regal. They are stubborn, and hold on to their beliefs, and will fight tooth and nail for what they believe in. Aubrey Posen is developing into the epitome of the Posen name, and though she isn't there yet, one day she will see her mistake. But today is not that day. Aubrey Posen rejects the soulmate idea, and refuses to acknowledge that she has one, despite the occasional smudge of ink on her skin that she cannot wash away but always fades eventually.

Aubrey stands from her perch and fixes her skirt and recaps the pen. She opens the door of the stall and walks to the sink, examing herself in the mirrors. She looks determined, now. No longer ashamed of beaten down. Her eyes are hard, almost startling her in the similarity they now share with her father's. She nods at her reflection and opens up her clutch, taking out a tube of concealer and starts to carefully blot away the images marking her skin.


	3. Chapter 3

It's the perfect early summer day. Birds are fluttering from branch to branch, the sun is bright and warm, there's a slight breeze that brushes Stacie's hair away from her face every once in a while. It couldn't be any more perfect for a fourteen-year-old who just got released from school for the summer. The only reason why it isn't, is amplified by the fact that the only person Stacie really wants to see and talk to is being lowered into the ground in front of her.

They had been ready for it, of course. Cancer does that; prepares the family for a long, drawn-out death that eventually feels more like a relief than a curse. Her father isn't in any more pain, and for that she's grateful. She's grateful, even, that she actually had a chance to say goodbye to him. That doesn't mean she's grateful for the aching hole in her chest that was once filled by her father's love. And she is sure she could never be ready to live a life without her father in it.

Stacie holds her tears in, determined to stay strong for her mother and her little sister. She can tell, just by a glance out of the corner of her eye, that her mother is starting to fall apart. Determined to stay strong and together for her, Stacie squeezes her mother's hand in comfort.

Andie is another story. She doesn't understand what is happening. She's too young to realize that she will never see her father again. She is only old enough to be able to tell that everyone around her is sad, so she should be too. And Stacie tries to comfort the inconsolable three-year-old, she does. But with every squirm and every shriek that escapes the child's mouth she can feel her frustration building. It isn't enough that she's hurting and her mom is hurting, it almost seems to Stacie like Andie is trying to make everyone more miserable than they already are. And Stacie can understand, of course. She'd like to be anywhere else, anytime else, than here. She doesn't want to watch as they lower her dad – the person who was always on her side – into the ground. But she has to. It's expected, and it's her last chance to see him in the sunlight.

The wind blows again, ruffling the black dress around Stacie's knobby knees. The wind blows with it a butterfly, which of course, catches Andie's attention with its bright orange colors.

Stacie flinches as Andie lets loose a particularly loud shriek, followed by an enthusiastic, "Flutter!"

Stacie only has time to grit her teeth and tighten her hold before a soft hand is placed on her right arm. She looks over, her brows furrowed in grief and frustration and so many other feelings that she doesn't quite understand, to meet Beca's navy gaze.

"I'll take her," she says quietly.

Stacie takes a moment to study her friend, seeing the tears brimming in her eyes. Jacob Conrad was not only a father to Stacie, but one to Beca as well, and she realizes when Beca's eyes flit to the coffin, and by the slight tremble in her lower lip, that Beca is going to cry. And Stacie knows that her best friend doesn't want to fall apart in front of everyone.

"Okay," Stacie says, hating the thickness in her voice. "Thank you."

Beca says nothing, only smiling tightly before lifting the three-year-old in her arms and walking away from the other mourners. As Beca turns, Stacie catches a glimpse of Chloe's familiar writing on Beca's wrist, a simple _I love you_.

It makes Stacie wistful for her own soulmate. She wishes she has what Beca and Chloe obviously have. Their bond solidified so much during Beca's parents' divorce, and Chloe was always so eager to learn anything about Beca's life that not only does she speak to Beca, but she occasionally writes to Stacie, too.

Stacie wants to glance down at her arms, looking for any sort of sign from her soulmate when she remembers that today is the day that they wanted to remain mark free. Which isn't a problem, actually. It would be inappropriate for Stacie to show up to her father's funeral with messages scrawled across her skin. So she doesn't mind the silence from her soulmate.

Except, she kind of does.

She doesn't know why, but when she was about 6, the drawings and what little communication she got almost ceased completely. It confuses Stacie to no end, as Chloe and Beca have always been close, despite living on opposite ends of the country. They write silly notes on an almost daily basis, and more often than not, Beca has a doodle somewhere on her body. It's only on the very rare occasion that Stacie gets any acknowledgement from her soulmate, and even than it's nothing personal; a colorful drawing somewhere not visible in normal clothes on her birthday or a major holiday.

It's as if Stacie's soulmate is determined to stay away from Stacie, and for that she just can't understand. Why would someone want to stay away from their soulmate? Why wouldn't you want to learn everything you could about the person that completes you? Why won't they just talk, or give some sort of sign that they care?

And normally Stacie doesn't question her soulmate's actions. It isn't really her place and she's sure that she will understand when she meets her. Except Stacie really needs the support and the love from her other half, today of all days, and like always, they're absent.

She breathes in deeply, trying to rid her chest of the ache, when her breath catches on the lump in her throat. And she's trying to hold on, she is. Her father's casket has just been lowered to the ground and all that's left is the wake at their house before this horrid day is over. But she can't anymore. And as she chokes, she can feel the ache in her chest splinter and out gushes all the sadness, depression, longing, grief, wistfulness, and all of the many other emotions swirling within her into a rough, pain-filled sob.

So caught up in her own pain, Stacie doesn't immediately register her mother's arms encircling her as the others make their way back to their cars.

"Shh, baby," her mother coos to her, running a hand gently up and down her back. "It's okay, let it out."

And she does, letting the sobs take over her body. She lowers her head to her mother's shoulder and lets herself be held. It takes a while, but eventually her tears stop flowing and she's able to form a shaky grasp on herself. She takes a few deep breathes when she can and pulls back from her mom, wiping the remaining tears from her cheeks.

She says nothing to her mom. She doesn't need to; her mom knows it all anyway.

"A few more hours, baby, and you can lie down and rest. This day will be over and behind us and we can begin healing." Stacie nods, not trusting her voice and follows her mother back down to their car where Beca and Andie are waiting quietly.

The wake is a different kind of horrible, and Stacie opts to not say anything. She's tired of condolences; she doesn't want to hear any more stories about how great of a man her father was. She knows. All she wants now is quiet and some time to be alone and start adjusting to life without her father.

Eventually everyone leaves, minus Beca, and Stacie retires to her room. As soon as she shuts the door, she walks to her bed and collapses face down. The day's events have exhausted her and it's not long until she's asleep.

"Psst, Stace." The whisper accompanied by a weight on her chest makes Stacie surface from her sleep slowly. As she opens her eyes, she can tell she's been asleep for a couple of hours, the sun now much lower in the sky, painting the walls of her bedroom in the golden sun of the late afternoon. Her eyes feel wet again, and their sting accompanied by the ache in her throat make Stacie wish that whomever woke her up had just let her sleep.

"Stacie," the voice whispers again, this time accented by a poke of a little finger to her nose. Stacie rolls her eyes down and is met with the face of a proudly grinning Andie.

She groans slightly and clears her throat, asking in a rough voice, "What, And?"

The three-year-old bounces herself on Stacie's chest, pushing out air and making her chest hurt more than it already does. At least this time it's a physical pain instead of a figurative pain.

"I drawed you a picture," Andie says proudly, sitting up and looking down at Stacie.

Stacie can't help but smile at her sister's adorableness. "Oh yeah?" She asks, receiving a happy nod in return. "Let's see it then."

Andie scrambles off of Stacie's chest and grabs her hands, lifting them up so she can see the flowers drawn on her arms. "They're here."

Stacie immediately freezes when she sees the messy scribbles. She can tell that Andie used a great deal of concentration to try to get the flowers as pretty as possible. But more than that, it's still June 27th, and Stacie knows her soulmate wouldn't be happy.

"Oh no," she whispers, heart rate starting to pick up in panic. Maybe, hopefully, whatever her soulmate had going on was finished already. Maybe she didn't mind the childish drawings on her arms. Stacie felt a roll of panic-induced nausea and jolted into a sitting position. It was unlikely. One simple thing was asked of her and she couldn't even do that.

"What did you do, Andie?" Her voice, now stronger but still quiet is hard. Andie's eyes widen in shock, not used to seeing Stacie so upset.

"I-I-I," she stutters, tears quickly welling up and overflowing. "I wanted to make you something pretty so y-you'd be happy."

"Then why couldn't you use a piece of paper?!" Stacie snaps, clenching her teeth.

Whatever reply Andie came up with is incomprehensible through her loud sobs. Stacie, at this point roiling in anger stands up, lifting her sister up off of her bed and putting her by the door. "Get out, Andie."

When the three-year-old does nothing but collapse into a ball of sobbing snot, Stacie snaps. "Andie! Get out of my room! Now!" Never before has she spoken to her sister like this. It won't be the first time, Stacie is sure, but she knows that when she calms down there'll be hell to pay.

Beca comes running in, eyes wide and worried. "What's going on?" She asks, looking at the child sobbing on the floor then back to Stacie.

In response, Stacie lifts up her arms. Her fists are clenched in anger and she looks like she could throw a punch at any minute, but Beca understands. It takes her a minute to fully comprehend the situation, but when she does her eyes go wide and she quickly picks Andie up and passes her to Stacie's mother, who rushed in behind Beca when she heard the yelling and sobbing break out.

"Go wash it off, Stacie," Beca urges, shutting the door and quieting the sobbing from outside.

Stacie storms into her adjoining bathroom, still fuming. She catches a look at herself in the mirror over her sink. Her hair is mussed from sleep, her skin blotchy from the tears, but it's her eyes that catch her attention. They're filled with rage and anguish and she doesn't recognize them at all. They're cold and dull, reflecting more as a deep gray than the usual sea-green that they are.

She closes her eyes, turning away from the mirror and starts stripping her clothes to take a shower. When she opens them, she sees small neat script on her thighs and pauses her actions. She scrunches her brow in confusion, then worry over what it must be before sitting on the cold tile floor and reading the message. She reads it once, then twice, then a third, but she's not really taking the message in.

It's the last part of the message that stands out:

 _I hope you're proud of yourself. Do not talk to me, do not try to find me, do not mark yourself further than necessary. I have no desire to ever know you or see you. I no longer have a soulmate._

And just like that, all of Stacie's anger and fight leave her. She's nothing more than a shell of herself sitting on the bathroom floor. How could her soulmate just do that? Get rid of her so quickly? They didn't even wait for an explanation or an apology. How could her soulmate think that she would intentionally do _this_ , Stacie looks at her arms blankly before returning her attention to the message.

She's still sitting against the tub when Beca knocks on her door awhile later. She hasn't moved or taken her eyes off of the message. She hasn't bothered to wash the drawing from her arms. She can't think to do anything than stare at the message scrawled on her thighs. What can she do? Her soulmate just dumped her without even knowing her or giving her a chance.

"Stace?" Beca knocks again, "You've been in there a really long time and I haven't heard any water running. You okay?"

Stacie can't even answer her. No, she's not okay. She had to say her final goodbye to her father this morning and by the early evening she had to say it to her soulmate, too. The day isn't even finished yet and Stacie dreads what else could happen and go wrong.

Not getting any sort of reply, Beca opens the door and peeks her head in the crack. She frowns when she sees Stacie sitting on the floor in nothing but her underwear, staring blankly at the black lines on her thighs. Stepping into the bathroom and not bothering to close the door behind her, Beca sits down next to Stacie.

"What is that?"

Stacie doesn't answer besides a small shake of her head, her eyes still staring blankly. Beca takes Stacie's hand and leans forward to read the message. By the time she finishes reading, her mouth is open in shock and her expression is one of outrage.

"How could they do this?" Beca's voice rings through the bathroom, bringing Stacie back to herself a little bit.

Stacie shakes her head and curls in on herself, squeezing Beca's hand tighter instead of letting it go completely. "I don't know," she replies.

"Where's a pen?" Beca asks, looking around and starting to stand up. Stacie grips her hand tighter and pulls her back down.

"Don't." In that single word is all the pain that Stacie has been trying to contain.

As soon as Beca hears it, she sits back on the floor and gathers Stacie into her arms. They sit there together, holding one another until Stacie's mom knocks on Stacie's bedroom door, announcing dinner.

"Are you hungry?" Beca asks without moving from her position.

Stacie shakes her head. "I'm just tired." She pulls away from Beca and starts to stand, stretching out her kinked muscles and trying to regain the feeling in her feet. "I'm just going to wash this off and go to bed."

Beca nods and stands as well. She gives Stacie another hug before leaving her to shower. "I'll be here when you're ready," she says.

Stacie nods and gives her a ghost of a smile. "I know. You always are."


	4. Chapter 4

_Starting to get into the good stuff here. This story is actually moving along quite quickly. A huge thank you goes to Knappster for this one for being my beta and sacrificing her reading pleasure to help out. Also, because she now has to wait twice as long for the next chapter as you guys do. So to thank her, you all should go over and read her Staubrey fics! I hear some pretty exciting stuff is going to be happening in_ Let's Pretend (We're Fine) _._

 _I've been receiving some questions about make up and tattoos in this AU so I'm gonna do my best to explain it quickly here before you actually get into the story.  
Tattoos are kinda tricky. They appear when they get stamped on a soulmate's skin, but only until the needle presses through the skin. I think, in this AU, marks only appear if they're on the surface of the skin, so as soon as there's color under the skin, it kind of goes away. This is why Beca will still have tattoos, and Chloe will know what those tattoos are.  
As for makeup, that's a bit trickier. I'd like to think that it would not show up on a soulmate, because it would be equivalent to putting dirt on one's face to ward off sunburn (like back in the way way olden days). Makeup would not appear on a soulmate, partially because of it's natural chemical properties, and partially because it just makes more sense that way. Now if someone were to use Sharpie as an eyeliner, that would show up. Same goes for face paint._

 _I'd just like to thank you guys really quickly too. You've all been so amazing, and I know I've been sucking about answering reviews and stuff, but just know that I read every single one. I've also not been answering a lot of the reviews that are guessing at plot points, though. You will all just have to see what happens by reading._

 _But I would like to emphasize one last thing before you can get to reading: this is a **Staubrey** -centric story. Yes there's Bechloe in the background, but that's not who we are focusing on. The main plotline of this story follows Aubrey and Stacie and will not go over Beca/Chloe's relationship or the development of it. I'm sorry if that's what you were reading for, but that's just not going to happen._

* * *

Aubrey gazes up at the night sky, marveling in the way the cold air makes her feel fresh and alive and free. She never felt this way at home, but again she never was free. But that's one of the things college is supposed to do. It's supposed to make Aubrey feel independent and free in ways that she never could at home. And she does, she admits. She's free to walk around campus at 11:30 at night to escape the judging looks and constant questioning of her roommate.

She loves Chloe, she really does. She's amazing as both a friend and a roommate. But sometimes she can be a little… much for Aubrey.

The effervescent personality of Chloe was a welcome shock to Aubrey's system when she was first introduced to her roommate. It made Aubrey realize that people don't always end up so messed up. That their parents allowed them to develop normal, healthy relationships outside of their social class.

Chloe has taught Aubrey more than she ever thought possible to learn in the short four months they've been rooming together, and Aubrey could not be more grateful for everything she has done. However, that doesn't always mean that Aubrey can stand being around Chloe. Especially when her soulmate is involved.

Chloe's soulmate story is the exact opposite of Aubrey's. With the positive influence from her parents growing up, Chloe developed a close, and very strong bond with Beca. They talked every day, be it by mark, text, skype, or phone call. They talked of their lives, their future, school, friends, anything and nothing at all. But their bond was strong, and that was the thing Aubrey envied the most.

Two years is a long time to not have any deliberate contact with her soulmate. And, though Aubrey was the one who initiated it, it was extremely difficult to do. That doesn't mean she doesn't feel guilty, though. She does. Incredibly so. She often is so disgusted with herself, usually after fleeing the room when Chloe and Beca are being grossly in love, that she can't stand to see herself or be in her own head. This benefitted Aubrey overall though. Her social life started to blossom when she found the Bellas. She became more fit and healthy trying exercise to distract herself. Her grades have never been better. But no matter how hard she tries, she still can't cope with Chloe's questions or her constant worried looks.

She's tried to apologize to her soulmate, of course. It took a lot of courage the first time, nearly six months after the incident, and six months since she last saw a single mark from her soulmate, for her to apologize. She wrote a long, well thought out, essay detailing her apology; why she was wrong, why she overreacted, how much she regrets it. She got nothing in reply in the end, not that she blames them. She wishes her soulmate had answered her attempts or shown something that indicated she understood, but Aubrey was always left hoping that she did understand. Not necessarily that she would be forgiven, she doesn't expect to get off that easily, but that her soulmate would let her try to make things right.

She still tried though, writing apologies and drawing doodles. Her favorites, even though she's not even sure if her soulmate left them uncovered, were the small drawings she'd still do for the holidays. A green shamrock on her wrist for St. Patrick's day in case her soulmate forgot to wear green, multi-colored fireworks on the 4th of July. This familiar holiday routine gave Aubrey small peace of mind. The drawings that let her soulmate know that she is here. That she is sorry. Even if they don't respond to them, Aubrey hopes that her soulmate still understands.

She used to wonder, in the few months after the incident if her soulmate was even still alive. That was a very scary time for Aubrey. Because how would she know? She never had a deep connection with her soulmate to begin with. They never talked or really communicated. But eventually in the fall, Aubrey would notice ink smudges on her hand or fingers. But that's the only reassurance she's had for the last two years.

She sighs, watching her breath billow out from her against the stars. It really is peaceful. It was exactly what she needed when she fled her room, though this time it wasn't because of Beca and Chloe, it was because of Aubrey herself.

It had been a normal evening for them. Aubrey was studying for her upcoming finals, Chloe was drawing a pair of headphones on her arm for Beca and humming to the songs they had been practicing during Bellas rehearsals.

When Chloe was satisfied with her doodle, she blew gently on the ink, helping it dry faster. It seemed like it came out of nowhere when Chloe straightened up and turned a curious eye over to Aubrey.

"You never talk about your soulmate," she remarked. Aubrey doesn't think she was trying to say it in any sort of judgmental way, merely stating a fact. She's always been curious, and for Chloe, who doesn't quite understand why everyone doesn't talk about themselves, the silence from Aubrey about her soulmate is worrying.

Aubrey shrugged and tried to get back to studying, though she knew it would be pointless. Whenever her mind started thinking of her soulmate, the guilt usually consumes her so it's all she can think about. It's this kind of mood that Aubrey's almost afraid of now. It's the mood in which she writes to her soulmate and pours too many emotions into what she writes, even if she knows her soulmate doesn't care. It's cathartic, almost. Except by the end, Aubrey's always left feeling hollow and even more alone than when she started. Still, she'd like to think her soulmate appreciates the notion of showing her she cares.

Chloe didn't take the subtle rejection of the conversation and stood to move to Aubrey's bed.

"No, no," she insisted moving herself to sit beside Aubrey and invade any personal space Aubrey may have had. "We've been friends for months and I don't know a single thing about them. You never talk about them, you never write to them, you never have any marks visible," Chloe stopped to ponder, looking over Aubrey's shoulder in thought. "And I would know if you had marks hiding. I've seen practically _all_ of you," she finished with a wink.

Aubrey bit her lip and averted her gaze. "I don't want to talk about it," she mumbled.

And why would she want to talk to anyone about it? Any normal person would shun her for treating her soulmate so poorly. She knows she would be judged and ridiculed by her family if she admitted to them what she had done. Chloe, who she has only known for four months, would want nothing to do with her anymore. Chloe, who has the perfect relationship with her soulmate, would think her disgusting and never want to look at her again.

So no, she didn't – doesn't – want to talk to Chloe about her soulmate or what she did to them.

"Why not?" Chloe had asked, her eyes wide and curious and innocent. She didn't know she was hitting a raw nerve.

"Because I'm not as perfect as you. I don't have the same relationship with my soulmate as you have with Beca. My soulmate hates me, and I can't even blame them!" She takes a breath, on a roll now. "My soulmate wants nothing to do with me, and that's okay. They don't deserve the fucked up mess that is my life. They don't deserve my parents breathing down their neck and judging the smallest things they do or do not do for me." Aubrey's voice rose throughout the assertion and left the silence ringing in the room when she caught herself. She continued again, this time with more control over the volume of her voice, but not over the wavering emotions hidden just behind it. "My soulmate doesn't exist anymore and it's my fault."

Chloe just looked at her for a long while, studying her. Aubrey had, of course, taken the chance to try to regroup and lessen the tightness that was left in her chest; the familiar weight of guilt settling back on her shoulders.

"You know, Beca's friend –" Chloe started, but Aubrey was quick to cut her off, standing and throwing a jacket on.

"I am so _sick_ of hearing about Beca, Chloe! I get it! She's great, she's there for you, fantastic! But you don't need to rub it in my face." She quickly shoved her feet into her shoes and grabbed her keycard off her dresser.

"But Bree," Chloe tried again. Her eyes were wide and confused, not entirely understanding what was happening.

"No Chloe. I'll be back," she opened the door and stepped out.

Just as she was shutting the door she heard Chloe ask, "Where are you going?"

The door was already shut by the time she replied that she was just going for a walk.

And go for a walk she does. It's nearly an hour later when Aubrey finally returns to her dorm building, sliding her card in the lock and opening the door.

It's quiet, most of the dorm asleep by this time. Aubrey makes her way up the stairs quietly, her steps light but slow. She's still not quite ready to face Chloe, but she doesn't want to make the same mistake and lose her like she did her soulmate.

But, as Aubrey reaches the door to her room, finding it ajar and the room empty, she realizes she might have already.

With nothing else to occupy her time or her mind, Aubrey decides to get ready for bed. She quickly changes her clothes and is gathering her toiletries bag and is getting ready to head to the bathroom when she notices a messy scrawl appear on the palm of her hand.

 _Call me: (971) 867-5309_

It's smudged soon after it is written, and isn't what she remembers of her soulmate's hand writing.

She considers calling it just to see who it is. She highly doubts her soulmate would be trying to contact her, so likely it's someone who wanted her soulmate to call them. It's only been on her hand for a few minutes when she decides to bite the bullet and just dial the number.

It rings enough times that Aubrey's sure it will go to voicemail, but on what she assumes is the last ring before the automated voice picks up, a different voice answers.

"Hello?" The background is loud and the guy has to almost shout to be heard over the din.

"Hey, yeah," Aubrey starts, no longer sure of what she was doing. "You, uh, wrote your number on my hand a few minutes ago?"

"Oh hey, baby. Interested on taking me up on my offer already?" Aubrey cringes on the sleazy quality that takes over the guy's voice as he moves to a quieter area. As the beats and the noise in the background fades out, Aubrey assumes her soulmate met this guy at a club. "Gotta say," Sleazeball continues without waiting for Aubrey to say anything, "my macking powers have been known to turn many a girl wild. Let's say we continue what we started earlier, baby."

This time Aubrey can't hide her scoff. She's not mad that her soulmate is hooking up with people. Hell, most people do it before they meet their soulmate. She's done it, even. Aubrey just wishes her soulmate would be a little pickier about who she chooses to hook up with.

Just by the sound of this guy's voice, Aubrey knows she wouldn't touch this guy with a ten-foot-long pole, let alone hook up with him. Not to mention that it's one thing to actually ask someone to hook up, it's another thing completely to assume that that's what is going to happen. Knowing the way boys at Barden act when they think they're hot shit, Aubrey feels like she should pull a solid for her soulmate and ward this dick lick off.

"Here's the thing," Aubrey says, hardening her voice and trying to pull a commanding aura off through the phone. "Normally I don't care who my soulmate hooks up with, but I will not let her do something stupid with someone stupider." She seems to be convincing in her farce quite nicely as the guy has gone completely silent at the tone change of her voice. It was a gamble calling her soulmate a _her_ , but the odds of her getting it right – this guy doesn't seem like someone who is into both sexes – are fairly high. "If you so much as touch her again," Aubrey continues, her voice even harder than before, "I will personally come find you and shove my boot so far up your ass you'll be tasting leather until you die."

The guy stutters, not able to get a word out and Aubrey preens internally. This guy won't be touching her soulmate again, she's almost sure of it.

"Do you understand me?" She asks.

"Y-yes, ma'am." He answers.

"Good. Now, another thing. Don't you ever assume a hook-up is guaranteed. If you like a girl, ask her on a fucking date instead of trying to get in her pants, you unclean bag of wasted potential. What the fuck happened to chivalry?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry ma'am."

"Good, thank you…"

"Louis," he supplies.

"Thank you Louis. Now why don't you go enjoy the rest of your night and actually try to woo a girl instead of assuming it's a done deal, alright? I'm sure your soulmate won't bother staying if they find you riddled with herpes."

She doesn't wait before she hands up the phone. She turns around to head to the bathroom but stops abruptly, seeing Chloe standing in the doorway, arms crossed and a stern look on her face.

"Chloe," Aubrey chokes, half in fear and half in surprise.

Chloe steps forward, a fire in her eyes that Aubrey has never seen before. She starts poking Aubrey roughly in the shoulder to emphasize her words. "Don't you _ever_ do that to me again, Aubrey Middle Name Posen! Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"

Aubrey doesn't bother answering, instead she surges forward and grabs Chloe into the tightest hug she's ever given. The only language Chloe really understands, and the only way Aubrey will be able to properly apologize.

"I'm sorry," she says against Chloe's neck. Chloe hugs her back tighter and they stand there, just inside the doorway, entwined.

"So soulmates are a sensitive topic for you, huh?" Chloe asks lightly, not a trace of anger in her tone or body language.

Aubrey laughs humorlessly. "You could say that." She's quiet for another minute before continuing her train of thought, so quiet it's almost a whisper. "She hates me."

Chloe pulls back, still keeping contact with Aubrey, and looks her in the eye. "I'm sure she doesn't. She just might still need time to heal from whatever happened between you two."

Aubrey sighs and pulls Chloe over to her bed so they can sit down and actually talk about what had happened.

"She won't respond to anything I write to her. She doesn't draw on herself anymore, she hasn't accepted any of the apologies I've written. I don't know what to do."

Chloe considers it for a moment, and Aubrey knows she's actually thinking of ways to help Aubrey, and not judging her at all. After a while she finally shrugs. "People make mistakes, Aubrey. Nobody is perfect, and nobody's relationship with their soulmate is perfect." She leans forward and lowers her voice, "Not even mine and Beca's."

Aubrey cringes weakly, a newer guilt weighing her down. "I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier. I didn't mean any of it."

Chloe shrugs. "I accept your apology. If I'm doing something wrong or something you don't like, all you need to do is tell me. You want me to stop talking to you about Beca so much? That's fine. I just need to know."

Aubrey smiles, her eyes starting to water a bit at Chloe's honesty. She leans forward and pulls Chloe into another hug, though this one doesn't last as long.

"She's knows you still care," Chloe says after she's released. "Nobody chews out slimeballs for people they don't care about."

Aubrey only half smiles. She's extremely glad Chloe isn't the type to hold a grudge, but Chloe can't understand why her soulmate would care that Aubrey's sorry without Aubrey telling Chloe what she did. And she isn't ready yet. One day she knows she will be, but until that day Chloe is just going to have to assume the best of Aubrey.

"Thank you Chloe," she says. "But I think we've had a pretty exciting night and it's passed time to finally get to bed."

Chloe agrees wholeheartedly and they finish their nightly routines and get into bed.

Aubrey lays in bed, thinking about what she did tonight and if that will make her soulmate hate her more or not when Chloe speaks up, breaking the layer of quiet that had settled over the room.

"I can hear you thinking over there. Just go to sleep," Chloe yawns.

Aubrey turns over so she's facing Chloe. "Why aren't you mad at me for not telling you what I did to her to make her hate me so much?"

Chloe sighs. "You aren't a bad person, Bree. I've lived with you for four months, and not once have you done anything that shows you don't care about others. You may have grown up since whatever happened between you two, but you are still the same kind, caring person then that you are now." She rolls to face Aubrey, and Aubrey can see the glint of Chloe's eyes from the light outside. "If you want to tell me, you will. I'm not going to push you and it's not really my business anyway. I'll stick by you no matter what. That's what best friends do, right?"

Aubrey smiles a real smile, reveling in Chloe's words. _Best friends._ She'd never had a best friend before. And she knows that no matter what, she isn't going to let Chloe go. "Right."


	5. Chapter 5

_Updates are going to be slowing down a little now, probably to once a week. Thanks to everyone who has favorited and reviewed! You're all awesome, and I'm sorry I put you through so much angst._

* * *

Stacie groans and rolls over, her hand reaching out to find the phone incessantly blaring that annoying ass song. When she finds it, she barely cracks an eye to check to see who is calling, before snuggling back in the bed and answering.

"What?" Her voice is thick with sleep and rough from the binge drinking of the night before.

"Oh thank fuck," Beca breathes into the phone before her voice hardens and turns accusatory. "Where the fuck are you? Do you know how worried I've been? You're supposed to fucking stay put when we go out!"

Stacie whimpers at Beca's volume and pulls the phone away from her ear. The more she wakes up, the more she can feel the hangover jackhammering against the inside of her skull, the roiling of her stomach, and the surprisingly pleasant ache of overused muscles.

"Stop yelling," she whimpers into the phone.

She can hear Beca take a deep breath and exhale noisily through the phone. "Where are you so I can come get your stupid ass and bring you back home?"

Stacie groans internally and opens her eyes, immediately squeezing them shut again at the sunlight flooding into the room. Instead, she sits up at the edge of the bed and steadies herself as she starts to sway.

She can't remember most of what happened last night after the shots started, so she doesn't actually remember who she ended up sleeping with, much less if it was anything to tell Beca about. It's not the first time this has happened, though she knows that even in her inebriated state she always kept control. It helps that she knows Beca always looks out for her and takes care of her the morning after, whether she approves of the night's conquests and actions or not.

"Um," she says to Beca after finally letting her eyes adjust to the bright light. She looks around the room to find any identifying characteristics of its owner before turning around and looking at the boy sleeping sloppily on the bed next to her. He looks familiar, and she's sure she's seen him at school, so at least he's not someone she's going to really get in trouble with.

"That kid, uh, Brandon? I think his name is? No, shoot," she squeezes her eyes shut and presses a fist to her forehead trying to push back the hangover and remember. "No! Kevin!"

She sighs happily with herself and gets up, quickly finding her bra and panties and shimmying back into the skirt and tank top she wore the night before.

"Kevin Michaels or Pierce?"

"Which one is the nerdy jock?" She checks herself in the mirror and adjusts her hair and wipes away smeared makeup. She glances at the boy still in the bed, out cold.

"I think that's Michaels."

"Okay yeah, his house," Stacie says, pausing at the door and listening for sounds. She doesn't know the boy – he doesn't hang out with her circle of friends, which is really only Beca, at school – but she doesn't want to get him in trouble with his parents. She hears something close deeper in the house and curses quietly. She quickly turns about and goes to the window, stepping around the used condom that was carelessly thrown on the floor after the act, and looks out, sighing in relief when she sees a ledge cropping out below the frame that leads to the garage.

"He's the one on Pine, blue house," she tells Beca when she gets a good enough look.

"Right, be there in a minute," Beca says before hanging up.

Stacie quickly sneaks out the window and gently shuts the window behind her. From then it's easy enough to pad across the roof and leap onto the roof of the garage. She eyes the house, making sure she isn't in clear view of any of the windows before she drops down off the side of the garage and runs to the sidewalk, where she starts walking away from the house.

It's not long after that a red Jeep pulls up beside her, and Stacie quickly jumps in. "Good morning Becs!" She leans forward and pats the dashboard. "Good morning, Mario!"

Beca glares out of the corner of her eye, but sighs when Stacie's bright smile doesn't relent. "You're lucky I love you," she says with a small smile.

"Aww thanks, boo." Stacie leans back after grabbing her sunglasses from the dash. "So what's on the agenda for today?"

Beca sighs as she stops at a stop sign. "We're going back to my house so you can shower nervous sweaty virgin off of you," Beca's lip curls up a little in disgust, "then we're open for the rest of the day."

Stacie grins and shifts so that she's sitting, facing Beca. "Y'know, Becs." She lets her fingers walk up Beca's arm and her grin widens when Beca tries to slap it away and move further away from her in her seat. "We could take care of your sweaty nervous virgin, if you want."

Beca looks over at Stacie, horrified. "Dude, no!"

Stacie cackles. "Aw, c'mon Becs. Hunter could teach you something. I'm sure Chloe would end up thanking you."

Beca turns into her driveway and parks the Jeep next to her mother's empty space. When she's shut the engine off she glares over at Stacie, not saying anything. She's still staring at Stacie when she unbuckles her seatbelt and opens the door.

Stacie laughs, getting out of the car after Beca and walking up to the front door and unlocks it. She saunters into the house and makes her way to the kitchen to look for food, waiting for Beca to walk in behind her. "You have nothing to eat," she complains when she hears Beca close the front door.

"That's because to have food, someone would have to go shopping."

"Ugh," Stacie closes the refrigerator door and instead makes her way to the hall bathroom. If she can't eat she might as well get the taste of stale booze out of her mouth.

It doesn't take Stacie long to shower, so she wraps herself in her towel and makes her way to Beca's room for some spare clothes. She doesn't bother knocking and just walks in, despite Beca being glued to her laptop.

"Hey Stace!" A cheerful voice greets her when she moves within view of the webcam.

Stacie smiles widely and spins around. She quickly walks over to the laptop, pushing Beca away and taking up the screen entirely, despite being clad in only a wet towel. "Hey Chlo!"

Stacie absolutely adores Chloe. She's always been there for her, just as Beca has. She's taken over for Stacie almost as a surrogate soulmate. As a friend, Chloe talks Stacie through her troubles when she's stuck, and listens to her when Beca just doesn't get it. Chloe can't entirely understand Stacie's frustrations, either, though. But her roommate for the last two years has apparently gone through something similar to Stacie, so Chloe can call upon her experience with her to help guide Stacie.

Which Stacie doesn't need all that often, to be perfectly clear. It's just that sometimes life gets really hard, and while she knows Beca will always be there to help Stacie figure her shit out, she doesn't think it's fair to distract Beca with her problems. And Chloe's great to talk to. She's understanding, she doesn't judge, she's helpful, and most of all, she's present. She keeps Stacie from breaking her three-year long silence to her soulmate. Something that Stacie has been struggling to keep up.

The first time Stacie's soulmate apologized, Stacie was so angry. It took six months of pure, gut-wrenching heartbreak on Stacie's side, for her soulmate to admit they were wrong. Months of Stacie crying herself to sleep, feeling more lost and alone than anyone should ever have to feel. She continued to be angry every time her soulmate apologized. She didn't want an apology from them, she wanted something to show that they cared. A question asking how her day was going, or asking her about herself. But she never got it. She's glad, she supposes, that the holiday doodle tradition still upheld. The small inkling that her soulmate was at least thinking of her on those days was something nobody, not Beca or Chloe or even Andie, knew about. Stacie hoarded these drawings to herself and reveled in the short-lived feeling of being on her soulmate's mind.

"How's it goin, Red?" She asks Chloe, not caring that Beca is sprawled on the floor glaring up at her angrily.

"Always well when I get to see you. How was your night last night?" Chloe motions to Stacie's collarbone, with a wave.

Stacie looks down confused, until she sees a mark. She sighs heavily. "I told him no hickeys." She stands up and goes to Beca's makeup to look for something to cover it up with, muttering "fucking virgins" under her breath.

When she's finished and dressed a little more appropriately, she goes back to the computer where Beca and Chloe are still talking and pushes Beca away again.

"So how's the roommate?" Stacie asks, studying her nails with feigned interest.

"She's fine," Chloe responds with a knowing smirk that she totally learned from Beca. "In fact," Chloe starts, turning the laptop around to face the other side of the room, revealing a blonde sitting cross-legged on the other bed, leaning over a massive book and twirling a pen in her hand. "She's right there. Wave, Bree."

Aubrey looks up, her pen between her teeth and her eyes wide. She smiles softly and offers a quick wave in response to Stacie's enthusiastic waving. Stacie swoons a bit at the soft blush dusting the blonde's cheeks.

When Chloe turns the laptop back to her, Stacie's just a little bit sad that she can't gaze at the blonde a little bit longer.

"You know," Chloe says, seeing the glazed look in Stacie's eyes. "If you guys would just exchange phone numbers, I wouldn't have to be a go-between for you two."

Stacie shakes her head, unsure of Aubrey's reaction off screen. Chloe's earbuds don't pick up a lot of noise so she can't tell what Aubrey's answer is. She wouldn't actually mind exchanging phone numbers with Aubrey. From what Chloe tells her, she figures they'd probably get along really well. It's a plus to not have the whole soulmate thing get in the way, either.

Chloe changes the subject, guessing the turn in Stacie's thoughts. "So Beca tells me you got your acceptance letters back."

"Most of them, yes," Stacie agrees. She's actually really excited for college. She used to think she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps and be an astronomer, but every science fair she's in, she ends up building some kind of robot and always wins. She still loves the stars, of course. But she loves building things too.

Chloe squeals and claps her hands. "Okay, let's hear it! Where'd you get in?"

Stacie pretends to sigh, like listing the names of the schools she got accepted into is the most mind-numbing thing she's ever had to do. "MIT, Columbia, UCLA, Cal Poly, Carnegie Mellon, and…" she pauses for dramatic effect.

"And?!" Chloe all but bursts out in excitement.

"Barden University is offering me a full scholarship."

The shriek of excitement that escapes Chloe is so loud, Beca rushes to turn down her speakers so they don't burn out.

"I'm so happy for you, Stacie! We get to be school buddies!"

"I have not made up my mind yet," Stacie answers with an imperious air.

Chloe snorts. "Yeah, but I'm here. Why wouldn't you want to go here?" She excitedly slaps her thigh, jostling the laptop. "You can join the Bellas with me and Aubrey!"

Stacie laughs and plays along. "That is very true. I'll still have a friend when Beca decides she's too cool to hang out with a science nerd anymore." She looks fondly over at Beca.

Stacie has spent hours trying to decide which school to go to. They're all very good schools that offer top tier education in engineering and astronomy, but most of them are extremely expensive and Stacie knows her college fund can't handle that kind of strain. The full-ride to Barden would not only be helpful for her, but would make sure that her mother doesn't have to work overtime to help pay for Stacie's expenses. So as much as she wants to attend MIT, which was her first choice school, she can't actually see herself going there.

She also can't see herself away from Beca for that long, either. They've been through everything together, and Stacie wants to make sure that college is one of those things. Plus, she and Beca used to always talk about how they were sure to be roommates when they got to college. (Of course those conversations were usually followed by what kind of house they would live in, and what that house would be made of – Beca was especially fond of blue bubble-yum, where Stacie wanted a house made out of cookie dough. They were both disappointed when they realized neither of those would be feasible.)

Chloe snorts out a laugh. "Beca can pretend to be cool all she wants; we all know the truth."

"Hey!" Beca cuts in, pushing Stacie out of the desk chair. "Whatever this is between you two is done. Stacie, so sit," she waves somewhere off in the distance in no general direction without taking her eyes off the screen and Chloe, "over there somewhere."

Stacie laughs easily, quickly saying goodbye to Chloe, and meanders over to Beca's bed.

Her headache from this morning is all but gone, but she's still tired. As she lays down she starts thinking about her actions from the night before and really hopes Kevin wasn't expecting to be in a relationship after a one night stand.

It wouldn't be the first time a rando has thought themselves entitled after Stacie put them out of their sexually frustrated misery. She's sworn off relationships in general, preferring to instead satisfy her desires and leave. In a world where almost seventy percent of people end up with their soulmates, Stacie doesn't want anything to do with getting in between someone's chance at happiness.

That isn't to say that she hasn't tried to have a relationship. A little under a year ago, sixteen-year-old Stacie developed a massive crush on the new girl at school. She was quiet, but funny and sweet. They quickly became friends, and that quickly turned into something more. Until the girl's soulmate found out and got jealous. Stacie was horrified at the drama that ensued, and felt extremely guilty for putting the rift between the two soulmates.

The aftermath of that was the first time Stacie really considered what she and her soulmate were going through. She isn't going to crack and forgive the way her soulmate tossed her aside that easily, but she knows what she's going through and what her soulmate is going through is probably similar to what the girl and her soulmate had gone through. Because of that incredibly messy situation, Stacie vowed no relationships with anybody that has a soulmate.

Which is a lot harder than it sounds at her age. She knows that being soulmates is not automatically an endgame relationship for everybody. Beca's parents' divorce is proof enough of that. But most people haven't actually met their soulmate at Stacie's age, therefore they haven't had the chance to make things work in a relationship between them.

Luckily enough for Stacie, this also means that soulmates don't explicitly forbid one night stands. Even Beca, if she wanted, has full permission from Chloe to go out and experiment. But Beca, being the closeted sap she is, doesn't want to fool around with anybody but Chloe. And Stacie respects that. So before each lay, she ensures that the soulmate thing isn't going to be an issue, and just to be safe, she tries never to stay the night.

Occasionally nights like the one before fall through the cracks, but with Beca being the winggirl that she is, Stacie can trust her not to make sure anything bad happens. She's extremely lucky to have Beca, and by extension Chloe, as friends. They're non-judgmental, and Stacie's sure that if she really needed to, she could talk to either about how she feels about her soulmate.

Stacie thinks about the mark that appeared on the underside of her arm this morning. It's a simple design, likely drawn out of boredom by her soulmate, but Stacie loves it as she loves all of the drawings her soulmate gives her. There's something about this one, though, that Stacie can't stop thinking about.

She stares at the light violet flowers entwined around an infinity sign. The leaves delicately extend from the thin vine of the infinity. It takes a few moments of really studying the design when the name of the flower comes to mind. Forget Me Not. And just like that, Stacie knows this is one mark that she wants to keep.

"Let's go get a tattoo," she says, sitting up and turning to face Beca.

"What?" Beca's genuinely confused and glances back at Chloe on the screen to see if she has any idea what Stacie's talking about.

"Ooh! That's a good idea!" Chloe chirps instead, a bright smile adorning her face. "What are you gonna get?"

Stacie gets up and shows her the mark on her arm.

"That's actually really pretty," Chloe says, studying it closely. "Beca! Lemme draw on you so you can get it tattooed too!"

Beca thinks about it carefully for a few moments. She eyes Stacie, trying to see how serious about this she is. Seeing something in Stacie's earnest expression she turns back to Chloe.

"Can you redraw the headphones on my wrist?"

Chloe nods excitedly. "Of course! Now, go! Stacie has to get that tatted before it gets washed off!"

Chloe hangs up the Skype call and Beca and Stacie get ready to go out.

"How are we gonna get this done? We aren't eighteen yet," Beca points out as they're getting into the Jeep.

Stacie looks over, a sly grin on her face. "I know someone."

Beca sighs and starts the car. "Of course you do."


	6. Chapter 6

_Here, have a chapter! Thanks to Knappster for keeping me in line and making sure I don't ramble on too much and keep things consistent. I'll see you all next week!_

* * *

She looks around the quad, a tense smile plastered on her face, and adjusts the stack of flyers in her hands. The activities fair is supposed to be a great place for recruitment, being the place that Aubrey found the Bellas herself, but she is having no such luck today. Everyone has either laughed in her face when she explained what the Bellas are, or laughed when they realized Aubrey was the person responsible for vomiting off the stage and on to the audience.

Which is embarrassing, yes. Made even worse by the thorough berating by her father gave her about, once again, not living up to the family name and being an embarrassment to her parents. She could never win with them, and with the stress added by having to find a whole new group of Bellas, she feels like she's going to lose it.

She's desperate enough that she would willingly, and probably quickly, accept Baloney Barb into the group. Except she's seen and heard of Pukegate and is _still_ holding a grudge against the Bellas for not letting her in the past three years. Which, okay Aubrey can understand, but it's not her fault. She hasn't had any control in the group until this year, and Alice rejected a lot of girls last year based solely on their looks and not their actual singing abilities.

Chloe seems to be echoing her thoughts exactly when she says, "What if we just get good singers?" Which, of course, brought somebody immediately over to the booth.

After the girl, Fat Amy, leaves, Aubrey sighs deeply and tries to unlock her jaw. She admits that Fat Amy is a good singer and that she would probably make a good addition to the team. But Alice was very clear when she handed over the Bellas and said that if Aubrey allows them to die, she will personally hunt Aubrey down and… Aubrey chokes back her rising nausea. It isn't enough that she had Alice glaring at her every practice last year, but now that she's in her head along with the added pressure from her father, Aubrey's a bit on edge.

Chloe seems happy enough with Fat Amy, though, and seems to consider Aubrey handing her a flyer to take as a win. So when she asks a shorter, alternative brunette if she would like to join, Aubrey almost loses her lunch again.

"Sorry, it's just, it's kind of lame." The girl's smirk is cocky and Aubrey can't understand why Chloe is still smiling so widely.

She shakes herself and rounds on the brunette. "Aca-scuse me?" She clenches her jaw and is ready to unleash a torrent of insults when the brunette laughs.

"Oh my god," she says, holding her sides and trying to catch her breath between cackles, "she actually says that. Who adds aca-prefixes to things?"

"Listen here you bitch," Aubrey snarls out, taking a step towards her as if she were about to knock some sense into this girl.

"Babe, you can't do that to her," Chloe says, placing a soft hand on Aubrey's arm and walking around the table to embrace the smaller girl.

Aubrey rolls her eyes at herself. "You're Beca."

The brunette smirks and looks up at Aubrey. "That would be correct. And you're Aubrey."

"And I'm Chloe," Chloe cuts in before things could get any more awkward. She presses a kiss to Beca's cheek and Aubrey rolls her eyes.

She's never actually seen Chloe and Beca together, but it doesn't surprise her that they're already this gross despite not having seen each other, from what Aubrey thinks, is at least a few months. Of course Chloe had flown out to Portland for Beca's high school graduation, same as Beca had done three years earlier. Aubrey was sure that Chloe spent some time there before meeting Aubrey at her parents' beach house for the rest of the summer where they relaxed and planned their year.

She knows Chloe didn't see Beca or go pick her up from the airport because she's been with Aubrey the entire day. And Aubrey feels a little guilty that Chloe hasn't had any time to actually spend with Beca. She knows she'd want to hang out with her soulmate if she hadn't seen her in a while.

"You can go, Chlo," Aubrey says, looking away from the pair and back to the crowd of students wandering from group to group. There's still a large amount of students milling around, despite the summer heat and the late afternoon.

"Are you sure, Bree?" Chloe asks looking away from gazing lovingly at Beca. "I don't want to leave you out here alone to pack up and everything."

Aubrey just waves her off, unconcerned. "It's fine. Go be with your soulmate. I'll handle things here and be back at the apartment later."

Beca looks between Chloe and Aubrey before asking, "Are you sure it's a good idea to leave her in charge of everything? She looks like she could scare people off within a – OW!" She turns and looks at Chloe with puppy dog eyes. "Why?"

"Be nice to my best friend," Chloe says, moving her hand from where it had pinched Beca's arm. She studies Aubrey closely, and Aubrey feels a little exposed at the scrutiny. She's not sure if Chloe understands her reasoning, but she's sure that Chloe wants to spend as much time as possible with Beca. Finally, seeing something in Aubrey, Chloe nods and grabs Beca's hand. "Okay, I'll be at the apartment later then. Thank you Bree."

Aubrey smiles gently at them, glad Chloe gets to do what she can't. "If you guys are going to have sex, keep it confined to your room, please."

Chloe laughs, and starts to pull Beca away. "We'll try our best," she says with a wink.

Aubrey can't help but grin when she sees the blush on Beca's face.

She stands at the booth for a little while longer trying to recruit more people for the Bellas. She talks to quite a few people, explaining the Bellas and the traditions and what they do, as well as the perks of being in such a group. Some girls she meets she thinks would fit in really nicely and she hopes they show up to rehearsals. Others, more noticeably a small, scarily quiet girl, she hopes she never has to see again.

All in all she has a little over a quarter of the flyers she and Chloe had printed out that morning by the end of the activities fair. She packs up the booth and brings whatever supplies back to the gym they use for rehearsals. It's a quiet place, somewhere Aubrey often goes to for an escape when her mind becomes too much. But that isn't what she's here for today. She leaves the rolled up banner in the corner next to the few props they have and takes the remaining flyers with her with the intention to post them in several of the dorms around campus.

She hangs them quietly, without talking to anybody or trying to get in the way. She's fairly satisfied with her work by the time she's finished with the flyers and she decides to make her way back to the apartment, hoping that Chloe and Beca are decent or at the very least not doing something inappropriate in the kitchen.

She's actually kind of worried about this upcoming year. She's had Chloe all to herself, mostly, for three years, and she's grown used to it. Reliant, almost. She's worried that Beca will take Chloe away from her and leave with with nobody to lean on or talk to. Sure, she'll have whichever new Bellas come in, but they're not the same. She knows she's going to have to be harsh to whip them into shape, and she's sure that they won't want to be friends with someone in charge of them. She thinks about her other, more neutral friends - classmates, acquaintances, study groups, et cetera - and knows they wouldn't do either.

She's so caught up in her thoughts, that she doesn't notice the body heading straight towards her until they've collided and she's sprawled on the ground with the girl on top of her. The impact pushes the air from her lungs and Aubrey can feel her elbow smack painfully on the concrete below them. The pain is soon replaced though, by something akin to wonder as she takes in the person who literally knocked her off her feet.

"Um, hi," she says, looking dazedly up at the gorgeous face hovering just above hers. Her attention is immediately drawn in to the gray-green eyes above her. Aubrey thinks they're the most beautiful eyes she's ever seen, and she quickly finds herself getting lost in them.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" She's snapped back to reality when the tall brunette lifts herself off Aubrey and sits back, pulling Aubrey into a sitting position. "I was looking for an address and I didn't see you! Are you okay?"

She checks Aubrey over for injuries and Aubrey just sits there staring at the girl, trying to place where she knows her from. It's as if Aubrey is looking in an old photo album and living off of the nostalgia she finds there.

"Your arm!" The brunette squeals, grabbing frantically at Aubrey's injured elbow. Aubrey lifts up her arm and looks at the scrape that is slowly oozing blood.

"Huh," Aubrey breathes. She stares at it for a second longer and shrugs, lifting herself off the ground and back to her feet before reaching down and offering her hand to the other girl. "It's fine," she assures. "Just a scrape, nothing that hasn't happened before."

The girl accepts her hand and Aubrey helps pull her up to her full height. She smiles down at Aubrey and like a slap in the face, she knows where she's seen the girl before.

"You're Stacie," she says with a bright smile.

Stacie stares at her, her eyebrows furrowed just a little as she studies Aubrey. Aubrey can see the exact moment when Stacie recognizes her as well. Her face lights up, her eyes shine just a little brighter and a slow smile works its way across her face. "Aubrey!"

"What are you doing here?" She asks excitedly. She can't fully explain to herself why she's so happy to meet Stacie, but she is. Perhaps it's someone who can relate to her fear of losing her best friend to their soulmate. Perhaps it's all that Chloe's told her of Stacie and she can feel a kindred spirit in the girl. Whatever it is, Aubrey doesn't want the feeling to end.

"Beca said she and Chloe were making dinner and said that I should come over," she looks down and starts to pull her lip between her teeth. "But I've only been here for like, a day, and I have no idea where I am or where the apartment is."

Aubrey smiles and hooks her arm through Stacie's and starts walking in the opposite direction Stacie was headed. "Well come on," she says, still semi-pulling a confused Stacie with her. "I'll take you there."

"Because you're roommates!" Stacie puts together, finally matching Aubrey step for step. "Fantastic. That means I'll have a place to go when Chloe and Beca are being disgusting."

Aubrey laughs. "I think it's going to be the other way around. Who has a bathroom and a kitchen attached to her room without other people interfering in their marathon sex? I'm going to be the person looking for a safe space." Stacie snorts and Aubrey cringes at another thought. "I'm probably going to have to buy earplugs now."

Stacie chuckles and pats Aubrey's arm. "That's okay. You can come to my room instead. As long as you're quiet and you let me study."

"That won't be a problem," Aubrey assures. "I usually kick Chloe out when she gets too fidgety when I'm studying. I'm sure I'll be able to keep quiet enough for you." Stacie says nothing, but looks over at her with a grin before turning her attention back to the sidewalk.

"So what did you decide to major in?" She wants to continue the conversation and keep Stacie talking. After years of being told by Chloe that they'd get along really well, she's finally seeing for herself the truth behind Chloe's words. She wants to know Stacie better, and would go as far as saying that she wants to be friends with her.

Stacie takes a deep breath and continues staring straight ahead. "Promise you won't laugh?"

Aubrey scrunches her eyebrows in confusion. "Why would I laugh?"

Stacie doesn't explain and instead glances at Aubrey's confused expression. "Astrophysical Engineering. I want to be able to build something to explore the universe."

Aubrey pulls them to a stop outside of her apartment building. "Why is that funny? That's completely awesome. That's…" Words fail Aubrey. Why wouldn't anybody want to advertise something as amazing as that? Obviously somebody had laughed at Stacie when she told them and just like that, a spark of anger starts to simmer. "Who laughed at you for that?"

Stacie, who had been looking worriedly at Aubrey, seeing the emotions play across her face, looks down. "My sister laughed, Beca called me a nerd."

Aubrey quirks her lips, wanting to say mean things about the sister she's never met or heard of. "Your sister doesn't know what she's talking about," she says softly instead. Stacie looks back up, a grateful quirk to her smile. "And Beca is just a bitch."

Stacie smiles wider now, amused by Aubrey's blunt words.

"Wow, Bree. Tell me what you really think."

Aubrey turns, breaking contact with Stacie. "You're a child," she says, walking up the stairs and into the building. "And a bitch," she adds over her shoulder as she makes her way to the door. She can hear Stacie's guffaws through the door as she steps into her apartment, making her way to the kitchen where Chloe is preparing dinner.

"Did you get the milk?" Chloe asks, still battering the chicken and not bothering to turn around and see who had actually entered.

"Nope," Aubrey replies. She steps up to the sink and turns it on, waiting for the water to warm itself before grabbing the hand soap and washing the scrape on her elbow. "Your soulmate is outside embarrassing herself by existing."

She says it in a deadpan tone that only amplifies the animosity she feels toward Beca. She's sure Beca's actually a good friend to Stacie, but something about her making fun of the path Stacie has chosen to take just rubs Aubrey the wrong way. It makes her ache for her own soulmate and assure her that she supports whatever they decide to do in life. She vows to make a note to them later stating that.

"Bree," Chloe sighs. "You met not even four hours ago and already you hate her?" Chloe turns to Aubrey now, taking in her washing the blood off her elbow. "What happened to your arm?"

Aubrey shrugs. "Ran into Stacie."

Aubrey winces at Chloe's squeal, and glances over as Chloe bounces in place and claps, the four on her hands making little puffs as they're brought together. "Finally! Did you like her? Was I right? Where did she go?"

Aubrey smiles wistfully. "You were right. She's awesome."

"Of course I'm right," Chloe scoffs and finishes dipping the chicken in the batter.

Satisfied the scrape is clean, Aubrey dries her arm and sits at the island watching Chloe work. She thinks about what Chloe had told her before about Stacie, one important conversation coming to mind.

"So," Aubrey begins, trying to seem nonchalant as she plays with a cherry tomato plucked from Chloe's work space. Chloe looks up curiously. "You said she didn't have a soulmate?"

Chloe smiles, but this time it's more reserved. "Something like that. Why? You interested?"

Aubrey shrugs, feeling herself get a little flustered at Chloe's teasing. "Just, you know, things to bond over." She pops the tomato in her mouth to stop herself from saying more.

"Uh huh," Chloe replies. She doesn't push the topic any more, and a few short minutes later, Beca and Stacie are walking back in the apartment with the groceries Chloe sent Beca out for.

Aubrey looks up and smiles at their entrance, not noticing how her smile gets a little wider when she meets Stacie's eyes.

Stacie's got a soft blush on her cheeks when she walks in, Beca smirking proudly next to her, that fades when she sees Aubrey looking at her. Together they sit and watch Chloe and Beca work in the kitchen together, already dancing around the other like they've been doing it for years.

When their dinner is ready and they're all seated around the living room with their food, Chloe starts pestering Beca to join the Bellas again.

"It'll be fun! We'll get to be together, like, all the time!"

"But dude, it's so nerdy and I have a reputation to maintain."

Stacie snorts quietly and mumbles under her breath, "yeah, littlest Disney character."

Aubrey chokes on her food and brings the attention of Chloe and Beca to her. She waves off their concern and takes a sip of her wine, glaring playfully at Stacie, who is wearing a self-satisfied smirk that she no doubt learned from Beca.

"What about you, Stacie?" Chloe asks.

"What about me what?" Stacie says, looking up innocently.

"Do you sing?"

She shrugs, and Aubrey's intrigue grows. "I can. Not sure I should be but nobody's thrown anything at me yet."

Beca laughs now. "She's actually pretty good. You're going to have better luck recruiting her than you are me."

Chloe turns to Beca, eyes narrowed in concentration. "I will get you to join."

Beca shrugs and goes back to eating and Chloe turns back to Stacie.

"You should join the Bellas!"

Stacie seems to consider it for a moment before shrugging and going back to her chicken. "I can be talked into it."

At this, Chloe shoots Aubrey a look and Aubrey sighs internally, going into recruitment mode.

"It'd be really great to have you there," Aubrey says. "We get to compete in semi-local competitions and travel."

Stacie looks to Aubrey now, a soft smile on her face. "Will I miss class? Will it affect my studying time?"

"You will probably miss a few classes," Aubrey admits. "But the professors usually let you make up any work that you missed. And it won't interfere with studying time if you allocate your work well."

Stacie nods, "Okay. I'll think about it."

They lapse back into silence, only the sounds of the cutlery hitting the plates and the soft volume of whatever TV show is on making any noise.

When everyone finishes, Aubrey volunteers to do the dishes and collects the plates to bring them to the sink. She looks over her shoulder and sees Stacie bringing in the rest of the dirty dishes as she starts the water.

"You didn't have to do that," she tells her.

Stacie just shrugs it off. "It's fine. I helped eat the food, I should help clean up." She settles in next to Aubrey with a towel and starts drying the plates as they're handed to her. "Besides," she says after a few minutes of companionable washing/drying, "Chloe and Beca are so in love it's kind of gross and I wanted to get out of there before I got cooties."

Aubrey laughs, the action making her chest feel light and fluttery. "Cooties? What are you? Five?"

Stacie looks over at her seriously. "Cooties are real, Aubrey. It affects more than three million school children every year. You could learn a thing or two."

Aubrey laughs harder, and Stacie's expression cracks, a smile taking its place.

"Okay," she says, composing herself and trying to breathe through the stitch in her side.

When Aubrey's finished with the dishes she turns to Stacie. "I'd like it if you would audition," she says quietly, as if any louder would disturb the peaceful, almost domestic bubble she and Stacie have found themselves in.

Stacie puts the last place down and throws the towel over her shoulder, leaning a hip against the counter. She studies the blonde before her, reading the earnestness in her expression and the (very) slight pout on her lips.

"For you," Stacie finds herself saying, "anything." It's worth it when she sees Aubrey smile.


	7. Chapter 7

Stacie looks up from the paper she's writing as the door opens and Dr. Mitchell walks in. She rolls her eyes to herself and tries to concentrate on her paper and not the conversation in the background. It works for a little while until she detects the hint of actual anger in Beca's voice.

"You're the one that forced me to come here, you don't get a say in what I do with my time while I'm here!"

"I do if you want my help with moving," Dr. Mitchell, retorts. Stacie cringes to herself, knowing Beca well enough that she knows those are fighting words.

"I don't want your help!" Beca snaps, standing abruptly and pushing her desk chair over to Stacie's side of the room.

"You may not want it, but you need it," is the reply she gets. Stacie waits for the explosion she's sure is coming, but when nothing comes she chances a glance to Beca over her shoulder.

The brunette's face is red and Stacie thinks she's holding her breath against any retort she wants to come up with. It's as if Beca has so many words she wants to throw at her father that she just can't sort through them all.

Dr. Mitchell must see the rage building in his daughter and he sighs, rubbing a hand over the stubble on the side of his face. "Look, I didn't come here to fight with you."

"Then why did you come?" Beca asks, jaw clenched and arms crossed across her chest.

"I came because you need to start going to classes. You need to get out there, make memories. This is college! You're supposed to have fun and _learn_ ," he emphasizes. "It's an opportunity to make lasting connections and friends."

"I have friends. Stacie and Chloe are my friends." Stacie smiles to herself at the reminder. They're basically as close as they could be without being related. She considers herself Beca's sister, but knowing the brunette the fact that she labelled their relationship at all meant something.

"They don't count."

"Hey!" Stacie says, cutting into the conversation without turning in her chair. She scoffs under her breath and mumbles "Rude," before going back to typing.

"Sorry Stace, but it's true," Dr. Mitchell tells her. He turns his attention back to Beca. "You need to make new friends. Have experiences you'll never forget. Make something of yourself, join a club; something that will get you out of your room."

Stacie concedes that point. Beca has barely left the dorm since classes started. She'd occasionally go to class, but Stacie knows that's only because Chloe threatened her. While she doesn't support Beca's habit of skipping, she won't call her out on it. It was hard enough to convince her to come to school in the first place and Stacie counts her presence at all as a win.

"I work at the radio station, I get out and make memories plenty."

Dr. Mitchell sighs at her attitude and his entire posture seems to slump. "Give college a chance, Beca. If you join a club and actually get yourself out there, and still don't like it at the end of the year, I'll pay for you to go to LA."

Stacie spins around in her chair, facing them now. That's a big promise he's suggesting.

"The Bellas' auditions are tomorrow," she says to Beca. Chloe has been pestering Beca to join since they started classes, and Stacie, already knowing that she's going to audition thanks to her promise to Aubrey, has been trying as well. How great would it be to be in the same club as her best friends? It'd certainly be better than going on trips without Beca, and having to tell her the stories she could've experienced herself.

Beca turns her glare to Stacie, and Stacie grins at her.

"See Beca, you already have options!" Dr. Mitchell is excited, and he claps his hands as he makes his way to the door. "Think about it," he adds as he steps out.

Stacie holds her grin at Beca as he exits, not taking her attention off her. "You should join! Imagine all the shit we get to do! It'd be together!"

Beca purses her lips and furrows her eyebrows. "I'll think about it." She shakes her head, as if trying to erase the encounter she just had and starts to grab her shower things. "I'll be back. Don't touch my computer."

Stacie snorts. "You can't tell me what to do."

"I just did."

Stacie shakes her head in amusement and turns to continue working on her paper. A few minutes after Beca has left, she grabs her cellphone and texts Chloe.

 **Stacie** : Beca's considering auditioning for the Bellas. Now's the time! She's in the shower, go seal the deal.

She gets a reply almost instantly.

 **Chloe** : On it!

It's almost an hour and a half later, Stacie is just finishing her paper when Beca walks back in, her face flushed and hair mussed.

"Where have you been?" Stacie asks, trying to act like she's disinterested in the answer.

"Shower." Beca's voice is high-pitched and clipped, and Stacie mentally congratulated Chloe.

"For an hour and a half?" Stacie asks, turning in her chair and smirking at Beca.

Beca's blush deepens and she crawls under the covers. "Shut up."

Her laughter fills the room and she decides it's time for her to get ready and go to bed as well. "I'll make sure you're awake for auditions tomorrow morning."

She barely hears Beca mumble "Thanks," as she walks out the door to the restroom.

* * *

Stacie and Beca barely make it in time, Stacie having to literally drag Beca out of bed and pull her along to the theater where the a capella auditions are being hosted. Stacie leaves Beca at the door and rushes in, just catching the end of the introductory speech. She gets the song and starts looking at the sheet music, choosing the part she wants to sing.

She vaguely notices some boys checking her out as she gets up to line up outside the auditorium. Deciding to play a little, she throws a flirty wink in their direction and holds in her laughter as she sees a few of them gulp.

It's been a little over a month since Stacie last had any fun, and while she doesn't mind what she considers a dry spell, she can admit that it would be nice to get out. When her name is called to sing, she decides to play with the boys in the back.

She adjusts her cleavage and struts on stage, smiling prettily. She stands center stage, and sees Aubrey and Chloe smile brightly and she throws them a wink.

As she sings, she throws in sexy and flirtatious moves, swearing that she sees multiple people in the audience adjust in their seats and adjust their pants. She knows that Chloe knows she isn't serious, having sung with Beca and Chloe over Skype in the past. But when she finishes her performance, accentuated by a deep bow, ensuring everyone in the audience got a good look down her shirt, she sees Aubrey pursing her lips and quirking her mouth as if she were unhappy with Stacie's performance.

The action gives Stacie a sinking feeling in her chest. She doesn't know why, but she really doesn't want to disappoint Aubrey, and her parting smile is a little more reserved than it was when she first started.

She stands behind the auditorium door examining her manicure and waiting for Beca to finish her audition. She chuckles when she hears Beca say "Yeah, I'm not singing that song," and doesn't notice the presence at her shoulder.

"You're a really great singer," the boy says. Stacie looks over her shoulder at him, taking her attention off of her nails.

He's almost as tall as she is, his hair is a little wild, loose curls holding themselves up in an afro. His skin is the shade of over-milked coffee, but is smooth with just a light dusting of freckles across his nose and cheeks.

"Thanks," she chirps and adjusts her stance so she's leaning against the wall but keeps her attention on him.

"What other interests do you have besides the E!Network and cuticle care?" He steps closer to her in a way she knows he thinks is sexy. It's not _un_ sexy, she can admit. But it's just not something that really turns her on. Still though, she responds, turning up her game.

"Well," she says and runs a finger from his shoulder to his clavicle before running it down his chest. "I can show you. If you're interested, that is."

She wants to laugh as she sees him try to resist rolling his eyes back in his head at her touch. Before she can reply, a new voice interrupts her and she steps back.

"Stacie heel!" Beca's annoyed face turns up in her periphery.

She shrugs and smiles apologetically at the guy. He looks truly disappointed, and she can admit that he probably seems like a good time. "Sorry. Maybe we'll be able to continue this conversation later."

She looks him up and down one last time, taking in the finely chiseled muscles just barely visible under his shirt, and bites her lip. She winks at him and walks away with Beca.

When they're far enough away that she's sure he can't hear her, she groans and shoves Beca playfully. "I was so close! Why, Beca? Why?"

"Because apparently, there's this rule about Bellas sleeping with Treblemakers and that guy," Beca throws a thumb over her shoulder back to the auditorium, "is apparently both a Treble and a player."

Stacie throws her head back and groans. "But I'm not even a Bella yet, why does it matter?"

Beca snorts. "You've basically been a Bella since you got here, Stace. Plus, the look on Aubrey's face looked like she was going to hurl again."

"She feels that strongly about Bellas and Trebles hooking up?" Stacie asks, looking down at Beca.

Beca shrugs. "I don't know. All I know is Chloe told me to rein you in and to do something until tonight."

"I was going to be doing something until tonight," Stacie mutters. She's not exactly annoyed that she didn't get to hook up with the guy, but she would not have been complaining if she had gotten the opportunity.

Beca punches Stacie lightly on the arm. "Don't be gross."

Stacie stays quiet for a few minutes, but eventually, after realizing they were just kind of wandering aimlessly around, speaks again. "Where are we going?"

"Oh…" Beca looks around at the path they're on. "I don't know; I was following you."

"I was following you," Stacie admits. They stand there awkwardly silent for a moment.

"Wanna get lunch?" Beca asks.

"Yes, please!"

* * *

"You are all Bellas now," Aubrey announces, looking over the group of girls. Stacie smiles and turns to Beca, enveloping her in a hug.

"This is gonna rock!" She says after releasing Beca.

"This is gonna something, but I'm not sure rock is the right word."

"Ladies!" Aubrey's voice interrupted and overpowered the other girls' celebrating. Stacie immediately snapped her head up, ignoring Beca's smirk at the action. "Let's get a move on to the Hood Night celebration!"

Beca whined a little bit, realizing that she wouldn't be free to go back to the dorm room until later.

They followed Aubrey and Chloe in a group towards the amphitheater, where Stacie broke away from Beca to get a drink. She watches disinterestedly as everyone dances around to the poor choice in music.

She notices another fellow Bella, Cynthia Rose, come up to the keg next to her and fill her cup.

"It's pretty poor excuse for alcohol," Stacie tells her, gesturing to her own cup. It wasn't the best beer she's ever had, but it definitely had about the same level of quality as shitty high school party beer did. Which, as Stacie has had a lot of experience with, not something she really wanted a reminder of.

"Well," Cynthia Rose sighs, looking at her cup forlornly. "It's better than nothing, right?"

Stacie just shrugs. "It depends on how much you drink if you can consider it 'better' than anything."

Her companion laughs at that, and Stacie throws her a smile back in appreciation before draining her cup and refilling it. "So," she says, barely taking her eyes off of her cup and letting a flirty lilt seep into her tone, "when I drink too much tonight, can I count on _you_ to hold my hair back if I puke?"

She catches Cynthia Rose's gaze fall to her chest before the other girl composes herself enough to answer. "Yes, yes definitely."

"Good, how about we," she starts to say but is interrupted by a bubbly redhead who may have pre-gamed a little too much already.

"Stacie!" Chloe tackles Stacie in an enthusiastic hug and Stacie has to hold her cup out to avoid it spilling on them. "I've missed you so much!"

"Hey Red," she pats Chloe on the back. "You know it's been like, ten minutes since we last talked, right?"

"Yeah," Chloe admits, releasing Stacie and grabbing her cup. She drinks it all quickly, making a face when the cup is empty. "But Beca doesn't want to dance and have fun."

She looks so heartbroken that Stacie almost wants to walk up to Beca and force her to dance with her soulmate. She tries not to let it get to her, but she knows that if she had the opportunity to dance and spend time with her soulmate, she'd probably take it in a heartbeat. She also understands, though, Beca's reluctance to dance, knowing her best friend isn't that well coordinated on her best day. Instead of lingering on her thoughts, she shakes her head and throws her empty cup in a nearby garbage can.

"That's why you have me," Stacie says, grabbing Chloe's hand and pulling her over to where the other people were dancing. "The soulmate replacement. There when your soulmate is being a wet blanket." She throws a wink at Chloe for good measure and starts dancing.

It's a few songs later when Stacie decides she needs a break. She was right in her earlier assessment that the music wasn't great, but it was fun to dance with Chloe and her fellow aca-people, though she still feels like something is missing. She looks around the amphitheater and quickly spots Aubrey watching everyone and sitting off to the side.

She decides to go see her, stepping around and dodging the slightly less than sober party goers.

"You look like you're having fun," she remarks as she sits down next to the blonde. She feels better as she sits next to her. Like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders and she can take a breath.

Aubrey barely glances at her as she answers. "There aren't a lot of people here I wish to associate with." She takes a long pull of her drink. "They call me Pukey Posen."

Stacie throws an arm around Aubrey and pulls her in closer, offering as much comfort as she can. "So own it."

"What?" Aubrey says, turning her head to look at Stacie.

Stacie shrugs, feeling Aubrey's gaze but not meeting it. Instead her eyes settle on Chloe, who has finally convinced Beca to dance with her. "Don't let it get to you. If they call you Pukey Posen, throw it back at them. Tell them you saw their face, or their singing literally makes you sick."

Aubrey smiles to herself and looks back out at the crowd. They're silent for a while, neither feeling the need to break the comfortable silence, until Aubrey sighs.

"There goes one," she says, looking forlornly at Kori leaving with a Treblemaker.

"You were serious about the whole no Trebles thing, huh?"

Aubrey nodded. "Apparently some little weasely Treble hooked up with a Bella a few years ago and got the set list and used that to sabotage their performance. It's been a rule as long as I've been here."

"Well damn," Stacie says. Her tone is light, not actually concerned about the rule or the threat of being kicked from the Bellas. "Guess I'm sticking to girls then."

Aubrey looks over to Stacie, brows furrowed and a questioning tilt to her mouth. Stacie winks at her and gestures to her crotch.

"The Hunter needs to be fed."

Aubrey looks at Stacie for a moment, a blank expression on her face. Right when Stacie starts to think she's said something wrong, Aubrey angles herself closer to Stacie and leans in a little bit.

"Well," she says, her voice a few notches lower than it was before. "I can help with that."

Stacie leans forward in response, as if the closer they are, the stronger the pull she feels towards the blonde.

"Can you?" Her murmur is soft and she stops when she can feel Aubrey's soft breath on her lips.

"Mmm," is all Aubrey can reply before she finishes closing the distance. Their lips have just barely touched when a loud squeal breaks them apart.

"I told you! I told you you guys would hit it off!" Chloe is all squealy, drunk, happiness as she bounces in place, using Beca's arm for support. "Becs, didn't I tell them?!"

Beca looks so exasperated Stacie can't help but laugh despite the frustration that she, once again, won't get to feed the Hunter.

"Yes, dear," Beca replies, patting Chloe's arm indulgently.

"Did you guys come over here for a reason?" Aubrey huffs, and Stacie moves her hand so it's sitting on her lower back. She meant for it to be a comforting gesture, but when Aubrey stiffens, she pulls it away, hiding the look of hurt on her face.

Beca nods, confused by the venom in Aubrey's voice. She looks between Stacie and Aubrey before settling somewhere over Stacie's right shoulder and Aubrey's left. "Chloe needs to go home and Stacie and I need to go back to our dorm." Stacie raises an eyebrow and Beca looks down. "It's getting late."

Aubrey nods and stands, gently disentangling Chloe from Beca's side. "Let's go, Chlo."

Stacie looks confusedly at Aubrey. She can understand Aubrey's frustration at getting interrupted, but why is she avoiding her gaze? Unless she's upset about Stacie herself. She had thought they felt a connection. Perhaps it was only her.

She watches as Aubrey leads Chloe away, back to their apartment.

"What's up with that?" Beca asks, looking from Stacie to Aubrey and back again.

Stacie, trying not to look like a kicked puppy, just shrugs and turns around to start walking to their dorm. "Let's just go."

Beca nods and starts following.

Just before turning around a corner, Stacie pauses to look back. Aubrey looks more relaxed now, from a distance, as she sees Chloe leaning against her heavily – her arms wrapped around Aubrey in a walking hug.

She doesn't know why she's so upset, so hurt. She's been stopped before from having fun and it hadn't affected her like this. She's partially worried that she had upset Aubrey by coming on to her. What if Aubrey wasn't ready? What if she wasn't as in-tuned with her sexuality as Stacie was?

She shook her head and caught up to Beca, throwing an arm around her shoulder. She completely misses Aubrey's wistful look back as they round a corner and continue to their dorm.


	8. Chapter 8

_This is not part of the angst war. Enjoy it while it lasts._

* * *

"You mad at me?" Chloe asks, her lip jutting out in the pout she knows Aubrey can't resist.

Aubrey turns back, tightening her arm around Chloe and smiles. "Of course not." She doesn't say she isn't disappointed, but she's certainly not mad at Chloe.

Well, that's not entirely true.

She's a little mad that Chloe had to come at that exact moment, and ruin any chances she had tonight of leaving with Stacie.

Aubrey figures Chloe interrupting them was probably for the best though. She can't entirely explain the feelings she has around the tall brunette; and that makes her uneasy. She always feels the need to be in control of her life, and when she can't figure out what her own body and senses are telling her, Aubrey knows she is definitely not in control.

She's never felt the intense attraction that she feels for Stacie for someone else. She's never felt the constant yearning, the constant need to be around someone. She can't even explain the way Stacie all but takes her breath away when she smiles at her, or the way the air between them feels electric, and charged in a way that makes her feel like her arm hairs are standing on end.

She also, begrudgingly, can't explain that the moment their lips touched, for that smallest parcel of time, it felt like everything in the world was right-side up when it had been flipped upside down for so long.

Until Chloe had interrupted them, that is.

"You are mad," Chloe says with a weary sigh when Aubrey doesn't say anything else for a few minutes. They're almost to their apartment now, and Chloe isn't leaning _quite_ as heavily on Aubrey, indicating that she's either gotten used to walking or is starting to sober up. Aubrey hopes it's the second, since she's not really interested in dealing with a hungover Chloe at the first practice tomorrow.

"I'm not mad!" Aubrey insists. "I'm just… I'm thinking."

Chloe seems to accept that for a little while and doesn't speak again until Aubrey's unlocking the door to their apartment.

"Does she not have a soulmate or does she not communicate with her soulmate?"

Chloe shrugs and takes off her shoes, leaving them haphazardly in the middle of the floor as she makes her way to the kitchen. "She's like you," is all she gives in answer.

Aubrey groans and follows Chloe, ignoring her shoes for now. "Are you going to explain it? You never actually tell me anything when you bring it up." She asks, getting slightly annoyed at Chloe's unsatisfying answers.

"Sheee…" Chloe starts, watching her glass intently as she fills it with water. When she shuts off the water, and takes a sip, she finishes her thoughts. "Doesn't have a soulmate either." She scrunches her eyebrows, "That's not right," she says in a low mutter.

Aubrey begins to really wonder how much Chloe has had to drink. She's not usually this cryptic when she's explaining things, even when she's drunk. It's making her want to slam her head into a wall, but Aubrey decides to wait it out hoping Chloe gets her mind back on track.

"She has a soulmate!" Chloe's clarifying statement is loud in the otherwise quiet apartment and makes Aubrey wince at the suddenly increased volume. "She doesn't talk to her soulmate," she says much quieter.

"And why doesn't she?" Aubrey asks just as quietly.

Chloe sighs and sets her glass down. She stares at it intently, as if the glass holds all the answers to her questions. "I'm not really sure it's my place to tell you."

"Chloe," Aubrey walks over to her and places a hand on her shoulder. It's meant for comfort to Chloe, but mostly it's an anchor for Aubrey. She can feel that she's bracing herself for the worst news possible. That Stacie's soulmate did something terrible to Stacie or someone else that isn't forgivable in any way. "Please? I need to know."

Chloe turns around and looks, really _looks_ at Aubrey, with the intensity that only intoxicated people can fixate on something with. Her eyes are glassy but not as glassy or glazed over as Aubrey had expected to see so soon. The dim lighting in the kitchen reflects on the pools of blue, making them seem deeper than they usually are. As if by looking into them, Aubrey can decipher the secrets and stories she feels she needs to know about Stacie.

She knows she could just ask Stacie all of this. She wants to, really. She would much rather approach Stacie about her history and learn the brunette better herself and without the help or intervention of others. But they don't really know one another well, and Aubrey knows, despite the strange connection they seem to have, that asking these things too soon could kill any chance she has with Stacie. Or at the very least make it awkward.

Eventually Chloe nods. She must see something in Aubrey's earnest expression and she leans back against the counter, watching Aubrey closely.

"Stacie doesn't talk to her soulmate, because on the day of her father's funeral, her soulmate disowned her."

She's silent for a moment but is soon conflicted on how she should react to this news.

"Why?" Aubrey whispers.

The thought of anybody disowning Stacie is appalling to Aubrey. Who wouldn't want to be near her? She's bright, she's funny, she's incredibly interesting. She's one of the most amazing people Aubrey has ever met, and she just doesn't understand.

Chloe shakes her head. "I don't know. I never asked and it never gets brought up."

Aubrey turns her head and thinks. It makes her think about her own actions considering her soulmate. _She_ disowned her soulmate, much like Stacie's did her. It doesn't make Aubrey proud, and she feels even worse for her actions seeing how it affected someone in a similar situation. Someone Aubrey really likes.

Her stomach rolls as the guilt crashes over her. Why couldn't she have just kept her mouth shut? Sure she was mad, but she knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, that she would regret her actions. That she wouldn't just be hurting her soulmate, but herself too. She never knew her soulmate well in the first place, so acting like she had surely wouldn't get her any kudos with her.

She nods sadly to Chloe and tells her she's going to go to bed. She enters her room and sits on the edge of her bed, lost in the snarled mess of her thoughts.

She likes Stacie a lot. Probably too much, considering the fate of her past relationships. But Stacie is different. Aubrey knows it and she can feel it. She already knows, despite only having met her officially a little over a month ago, that she won't ever try to purposefully hurt Stacie. Not like she did to her own soulmate.

Which gets her back on her former train of thought. She knows she messed up with her soulmate, and she completely understands her reluctance to talk to her. But she feels so guilty about the way she treated her, that she's probably never going to stop trying to apologize. Even if she never actually achieves full forgiveness from her.

So she decides to write to her again, despite the slim possibility of even getting a response. She thinks very carefully about what she wants to tell her. She's said she's sorry so many times that she doesn't actually know how to say it anymore. Instead, she thinks of the sentiment she had thought of a month ago but had never actually wrote out.

 _I'm proud of you in all that you do._

She caps the pen and blows gently on the ink to dry it. Satisfied with her message, she changes for bed and heads to the bathroom to finish her nightly rituals, a thread of uncanny feeling tingling at the back of her mind.

As she finishes drying her face, she looks up from the towel and sees an addition to her message. It's not much, but to Aubrey, who has suffered over four years of silence, it's everything.

Under her note rests a simple _thank you_.

* * *

"Alright everybody please take a seat. Sopranos in the front and Altos in the back." Her voice rings through the auditorium and the Bellas quickly head to a seat.

"Hey," Beca, saunters up to Aubrey and Chloe, smirking to herself. "How do you know a soprano is at your door?"

Aubrey sighs and rolls her eyes, but says nothing, imploring Beca to continue with a twitch of her eyebrow.

Beca leans forward, barely containing her laugh as she continues. "She can't find her key and doesn't know when to come in!"

Aubrey purses her lips to hide her amusement. The joke is a little funny, she can admit. A very little. But it's mostly Beca's reaction to telling the joke that particularly tickles Aubrey. They're not close at all, and Aubrey can admit that she resents the freshman just a little bit for stealing her best friend, but she can't help it. Beca's cute. Her grin is wide and she looks so proud of herself as she holds a hand up for a high-five. Aubrey is in a good mood this morning though, so she begrudgingly offers Beca a weak high-five and rolls her eyes when Beca fist pumps and takes her seat.

Chloe's reaction is similar to Aubrey's. She does not laugh at the joke, but her affection for Beca glows in her eyes.

Instead of dignifying Beca with any sort of outward response, Aubrey turns to the rest of the girls, signaling to Beca to take her seat.

"As you can see," she tells them gesturing to an empty chair, "Kori is not here. Last night she was Treble-boned and she has been disinvited from the Bellas." She can't help but glance toward Stacie as she says this. She doesn't know exactly why she does, but she thinks it is because she needs to gauge Stacie's reaction to one of her harsher rules. She needs to make sure Stacie isn't going to get mad at her for enforcing the rules.

It has nothing to do with how gorgeous Stacie looks, or the shy smile she offers Aubrey every time they make eye contact. Probably.

Stacie's looking at the empty seat, but when Fat Amy coughs and mutters "slut" under her breath, the rolls her eyes and looks at Aubrey. There's an expression there that Aubrey can't quite read; a sort of mixture between elated, conflicted, annoyed and something else that Aubrey doesn't know how to decipher. Her whole demeanor seems lighter to Aubrey this morning, but she can't say why.

She goes off on her spiel about the loathsome Trebles when Beca remarks about the rule being stupid, and by the end of her speech, even Beca seems a little cowed. Or at the very least understanding of the rule.

Seeing that everybody was at least paying attention now, Aubrey turns and explains their attack on the a capella world.

When she brings up the cardio rule most of the girls groan and complain with Amy basically refusing to do any.

"What do you guys want me to do about it? It's a necessary evil!" She talks over them, trying to get them to see the light.

"It's exercise!" Beca shouts back. Aubrey wants to groan and bury herself in her bed to get away from the whiners.

She looks desperately at Chloe, not entirely knowing how to handle them all. Chloe's lip quirks when she sees Aubrey looking to her for help and she mouths "punishment" to Aubrey.

Steeling herself and getting ready to play the not entirely comfortable role of "bad guy," Aubrey clears her throat. The girls' conversations and complaints ease off, not quickly enough for Aubrey's liking, but soon enough that she knows, with however long it takes, that eventually she'll clear her throat and everyone will cut off immediately.

Channeling her father's authority, she keeps her voice strong and stern, meeting the eyes of each girl as she talks. "You _will_ , have at least an hour of cardio a day," she emphasizes. "If we have to add an extra hour of practice on a day, so be it. Better yet, that's what we're going to do, starting today." The girls all start to groan again and Aubrey quickly shuts them up, her voice sharp. "Everybody up! 15 laps up and down the bleachers."

Her sharp tone seems to work, as every girl shoots up and starts following Chloe up the steps. None of them are dressed for this, she knows, but when she sees Stacie holding her boobs as she descends the stairs, Aubrey can't help but stare.

Chloe snaps her out of it before anybody else seems to notice by running up next to her. Her co-captain isn't even a little winded by the six laps she had completed around the gym.

"You wanna wipe the drool off of your chin?" Chloe asks, a smug smile plastered on her lips.

Aubrey shifts her gaze to the other runners, making sure each of them are actually exerting themselves. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she tells Chloe. Her mistake though, and she knows it as she does it, but she just can't stop, is letting her eyes fall on Stacie again.

The tall brunette is now trying to drag Beca up the stairs with her, laughing at Beca's obvious discomfort with the idea of running. Even running up the stairs backwards, Aubrey thinks Stacie is gorgeous. This is obviously something she's done before, and with the gracefulness that she's accomplishing the task, Aubrey is sure she isn't even tired.

She continues to stare, despite Chloe's soft chuckle next to her. There's just something about Stacie, that she can't escape from. It isn't the way her shirt flows around her as she runs, or the bounce of the bun in her hair she hastily constructed, or the way her eyes seem to shine in amusement and happiness as she jokes with Beca.

She doesn't realize how long she's been watching them when the girls all stop at the bottom of the seats, panting and bent over like they're going to die. All except for Stacie it seems, who is just as upright as she was before, throwing an amused smile to her fellow Bellas.

She's not even panting, Aubrey notes, eyes unintentionally traveling south again. She catches herself and shakes her head and turns to Chloe.

"Five minute break then routine?"

Chloe nods and grabs a water bottle, taking it to Beca.

"You all have five minutes to catch your breath," Aubrey calls out. She holds back an amused huff when they all slump to the floor where they're standing, despite there being seats just behind them.

The rest of the practice goes well for a group of newbies to the a capella world. They can all match pitch and hold it, and Aubrey works on having them manipulate their mouths to develop new sounds. She keeps an eye on Chloe, who has officially become the dance teacher in the group, as she works with everyone. She can't help but sigh in exasperation when she notices Chloe "helping" Beca with her dance moves despite Beca's assurances that she can do it on her own.

When it's Stacie's turn for Aubrey's instruction, she welcomes the brunette with a warm smile.

Stacie returns it hesitantly. "Ready to make music with our mouths?"

A startled laugh escapes Aubrey's lips, and Stacie's smile grows. She completely was not expecting the flirting to continue after the night before.

"That's Chloe's line," Aubrey says, her answering smile just as bright.

Stacie shrugs. "I was thinking about trying it out. Y'know, steal her lines like she's stolen my best friend."

Stacie says the words that Aubrey's been thinking, but without any hint of actual annoyance. Which is almost exactly the opposite of what Aubrey's been feeling. She can understand some points of Stacie's view, since alone time is pretty great. Though Stacie seems like she's making friends quickly among the Bellas, so she probably isn't as dependent on Beca as Aubrey is of Chloe.

"You're just saying that because you get the dorm to yourself while I have to deal with them in my own apartment," Aubrey says, trying to maintain a believable disgusted face.

"Very true," Stacie nods. "So what are we going to do today?"

"Percussion," Aubrey says.

Aubrey ends up spending the most time working with Stacie. It isn't that she's not talented, because she is. She's definitely understanding what Aubrey's trying to teach, and, when she's actually being serious, she does excellent at it.

It's Stacie's playful nature that stalls them. Instead of simply copying Aubrey's aperture and mimicking the beats she makes, Stacie chooses to make faces and purposefully over exaggerate the noises.

"Oh my god, Stacie stop," Aubrey says, trying to contain her laughter.

It's her third time trying to get Stacie to pay attention and properly use her mouth to make beats, but instead of being serious and actually practicing, Stacie holds her lips in a way that as she blows air through them, spit flies from her mouth.

"But we've been here forever!" Stacie slumps, no doubt tired from all the activity.

Aubrey checks her watch and is amazed to see that it has been almost five hours that they've all been working. She glances around at the others, taking in bored and worn out faces. Even Chloe isn't really working anymore.

"Okay!" Aubrey shouts, getting the attention of the girls. "I'm calling it. Everyone go home, rest, eat healthy," she glares at Beca as she says this, knowing the girl's propensity for junk food, "and I'll see you all here tomorrow after classes."

The girls have a mixed reaction of grumbling and sighing with happiness as they gather their things to leave after a failed hands-in.

"Hey," Chloe comes over as she's picking up her bag and getting ready to head out.

"What's up?"

"Beca, Stacie, and I were thinking of going out for a bite. Do you wanna come?" Aubrey looks up from Chloe's hopeful expression to see the other two standing and waiting by the door.

Seeing Aubrey's gaze on them, Stacie smiles brightly while Beca stands there examining the chipping paint on her nails. Aubrey quickly returns the smile and shrugs to Chloe. "Sure, I'm in."

She grabs her bag and double checks her things are still in it as she walks with Chloe to the others. "Where are we going?"

Chloe shrugs as they reach the others. "Pizza?"

"Yes!" Beca exclaims, pumping a fist into the air.

Stacie and Aubrey both look down at her with similar unimpressed expressions.

Stacie grimaces. "I'm tired of pizza."

"Chinese?" Chloe suggests as Aubrey stops to lock the doors behind them.

This time it's Aubrey that makes a face, catching Chloe's attention. "What?"

"There's a lot of oil in that."

Chloe sighs and throws her hands up. "Okay so someone else come up with something."

"Benetti's?" Aubrey suggests the little Italian place just down the street from their apartment.

"Ooh, yes!" Chloe bounces and grabs Beca's hand, pulling her along.

"What is that?" Stacie asks, walking with Aubrey a few paces behind the somehow still bubbly redhead.

"It's a little Italian place," Aubrey says, throwing Stacie a small smile. She thought alone time with the brunette would be awkward today, but it's proving to be anything but. They're just as comfortable as they felt the night before. "They have good everything."

"Awesome," Stacie nods. "I'm starving."

They walk in comfortable silence for a while, quietly listening and occasionally chuckling at Beca and Chloe's inane conversations.

"I'm sorry about last night," Aubrey eventually says as they turn the street corner near the restaurant.

Stacie turns to Aubrey and grabs her hand, pulling her to a stop. Aubrey meets her gaze curiously.

"It's okay," Stacie assures her. "It's not the first time Beca's gotten in the way and it won't be the last."

Aubrey laughs. "It will be if I have anything to say about it. There'll be no interruptions next time."

Stacie laughs and shifts her weight over her hip, letting go of Aubrey's hand and crossing her arms as she raises an eyebrow. "Oh, so you think there'll be a next time?"

There's a flirty and playful lilt to Stacie's voice, and the corner of her mouth is twitching up in amusement. Aubrey studies her lips, taking in the exact shade of them in the setting sun.

She looks up and meets Stacie's gaze and gives a smirk of her own. "I know there will be," she says with a wink. She turns and catches up to Beca and Chloe who are waiting for them outside of the restaurant, leaving Stacie behind with a wide grin on her face.


	9. Chapter 9

_tumblr perks include but are not limited to: helping me decide whether the Bechloe spinoff of STT will be multi-chapter or a one shot*; headcannon integrations; and a crap ton of trash.  
_ _There are a few perks to following me on tumblr *hint hint* (Besides the fact that I actually respond to messages and comments on there)  
_ * _votes here will not be counted._

 _Also, for those of you only reading for the Bechloe interactions, not a lot of that happens in this chapter._

* * *

Stacie hates being a girl. Okay, that's actually not true. Ninety-six percent of the time, Stacie _loves_ being a girl. She loves the makeup, and the clothes, and the hair. She loves proving unassuming imbecilic men that think she's nothing more than her looks wrong, as she outpaces them in everything she does.

She absolutely hates, though, those four to six days a month where she inevitably questions if being a girl is worth it.

She knows it is, of course. She knows it's the burden she has to carry that will eventually lead to children one day and the ability to swallow the worst pain imaginable. Of course, she's already survived through the disownment of her soulmate, so what's a little period pain?

Except it isn't normal period pain. She's been to doctors and gynecologists galore, and each time they tell her nothing is truly wrong. It's not endometriosis or PID, it isn't ovarian cysts or lesions. It's nothing that comes up on any test she's taken, but every few cycles or so, she's hit with pain that she's sure labor has nothing on.

Luckily, it doesn't affect her every month, this major cramping. If she's lucky it really only happens a few times a year.

It's the timing that she isn't lucky on.

It figures that six weeks after Bellas rehearsals have started and a few days after their regionals set has actually started to sound like a regionals set, Stacie would be incapacitated by cramps so strong and vicious that they'd cripple even the stubbornest of mules.

She skipped her afternoon classes because she couldn't stay upright in her morning classes any longer. She's been curled into a ball for the past two hours, only moving to flinch when Beca came tearing through the room like a cracked-out tornado.

"Stacie come on we're going to be late!"

Beca's rushing to get ready for practice does not distract Stacie from the pain, either. She watches her scramble, trying to put an exercise top on and her shoes at the same time from her curled position on her bed.

Stacie doesn't answer with anything more than a groan of pain as she pulls her blankets up over her head.

"Stace?" She hears Beca stop scrambling for a moment and can imagine the look of confusion on her face. She hears Beca walk unevenly towards her bed, her shoe forgotten for the moment.

Her blanket is slowly pulled back down and she looks up to see Beca's concerned gaze.

"Oh, Stace," Beca's voice is soft and comforting as she holds the back of her hand to Stacie's forehead. She can tell by the feeling of the cool air hitting the spot when Beca pulls away that she's clammy. "Have you taken anything?"

Stacie nods. "Ibuprofen." Her voice is weak and broken and not at all helping to hide the amount of pain that she's actually in. Of course, it takes a while for the medicine to work, but each minute that she waits feels like torture.

"Do you want me to stay?" Beca asks. Hopefully, it seems to Stacie, seeing Beca's eyes light up and a small smile form at the edge of her mouth. She knows Beca hates practice. Honestly, Stacie believes the only reason Beca actually goes to practice is because either Stacie or Chloe makes her.

Stacie rolls her eyes and grins at her friend. "No, go to practice before Aubrey flays you alive."

Beca sighs and mumbles out a pathetic "Fine." She puts her other shoe on and ties the laces quickly then grabs her keys and bag. "Do you want me to get you anything while I'm out?"

Stacie thinks it through. She doesn't have much of an appetite at the moment, thanks to the pain roiling through her body and making her nauseous, but she knows in a few hours, if the pain meds ever kick in, she'll be ravenous.

"As much junk as you can carry." She sees Beca light up. It's been a while since they've been allowed to eat the unhealthy foods that they subsisted on in high school. Aubrey and Chloe weren't kidding around when they said being a Bella was hard work.

"Mozzarella sticks?" Beca asks hopefully.

Stacie's mouth begins to water at the thought and she moans in anticipation. "And jalapeno poppers."

Beca grins widely and thrusts a fist in the air accompanied by a triumphant "Yes!"

"You have to go to practice first though," Stacie says.

"Yeah, yeah fine." She opens the door and closes it behind her, leaving Stacie alone in their room.

Sometime after Beca leaves, the pain starts to subside and Stacie feels like she can start to function again. It's not all the way gone, and she's sure it won't entirely leave at all, so she takes advantage of the minimal state of pain and quickly checks online for her missed lessons and takes notes from the slides her teachers uploaded online.

When she's finished, she checks the clock and notices that Beca should be back soon and decides that it would be a good time to shower.

She's drying her hair and combing it out when there's a knock on the door. Figuring it's Beca and she has her hands too full to open the door, she gets up, hanging her towel up on the way, and opens the door.

She's surprised to see Aubrey standing there looking unsure instead of Beca, but she's not unhappy.

"Hey," Stacie greets her, stepping back and opening the door wider to invite her in.

Aubrey steps in, furrowing her eyebrows and looking around. "Beca said you were sick," she says, turning around and gazing at Stacie questioningly.

Stacie shrugs and sits back on her bed, pulling her legs up under her. "Did you come all the way over here just to make sure she wasn't lying?"

"What? No! No," Aubrey furiously shakes her head. "I wanted to see if I could help in any way." She looks away as she says this, and Stacie thinks she can see the faint tint of pink in her cheeks. But whether it's from embarrassment or suppressed anger, Stacie can't tell.

Aubrey turns back to her, one eyebrow raised. "Were you lying?" She looks over Stacie, as if she were searching for whatever ailment caused her to miss practice. Which is what she is probably doing, Stacie admits.

"No," Stacie shakes her head and leans back against her pillows. She eyes Aubrey, who is standing just inside the doorway. "You can sit you know."

Aubrey eyes her warily before moving across to room to perch lightly on the edge of Beca's desk chair.

"I'm not lying," Stacie says once she's sure Aubrey is comfortable enough. "I get like, the worst cramps imaginable, and I got hit with them this morning." She looks away from Aubrey and starts playing with a loose string on her comforter. "It's not that I wanted to miss practice," she says, her voice low. "I just physically _couldn't_ go _._ "

She chances a glance back up at Aubrey. The blonde is leaning towards her, eyes wide and earnest as she bites her lip. She looks like she wants to touch Stacie in some way, offer some sort of comfort, but doesn't know how.

"I'm sorry," she says eventually. Stacie can tell she really means it. She doesn't know if Aubrey suffers as much as she does, but it's obvious that Aubrey can relate in some way.

Stacie shrugs. "It's not like it's your fault."

"Still though," Aubrey shrugs. She leans back a little in the chair, settling in more comfortably. "So what have you been doing instead?"

Stacie shrugs. "This and that. I was about to watch a movie while I waited for Beca to bring me food." Aubrey grimaces and looks away guiltily when Stacie mentions Beca. "What?"

"Beca isn't coming."

"What?!" Stacie shrieks, sitting up and facing Aubrey fully. "Why?"

"She may have gotten distracted," Aubrey trails off, looking over Stacie's shoulder. Stacie raises an eyebrow at her to implore her to finish her thought. "By Chloe's mouth."

"Ugh," Stacie scoffs. "Of course she did."

"I told her it was fine," the blonde admits. She doesn't look entirely confident in what she's about to say, but after a moment of deliberation and an almost silent intake of air, like she's bracing herself for what she's about to say, she continues. "I told her I would be happy to take care of you, and let her off the hook."

Aubrey's words bring a bright smile to Stacie's face. "Really?" She asks.

It isn't like she doubts Aubrey's intents. Not at all. She can tell Aubrey is being sincere by the light blush and she shy, almost unnoticeable biting of her bottom lip. She just can't imagine that anybody would want to spend time with her if they thought she was sick. Even more that it's Aubrey – someone Stacie has only known in person for a short period of time. Sure, she can admit they've bonded in that time, and have become close, but Aubrey's actions shock her. And she can't even think about how to begin to express her gratitude.

"Do you want to order food and watch a movie?" Stacie asks. She tries to keep the hopeful note out of her voice, but by the way Aubrey lights up she's not sure she's quite succeeded.

"Yes please!" Aubrey agrees. She stands up and grabs her phone from her purse where it lies by the door. "What are you in the mood for?"

Stacie's mouth begins to water imagining all the greasy and salty foods that are a simple phone call away. "Beca was going to bring back junk, so anything unhealthy."

Aubrey looks at her from the corner of her eye. "You know, healthy foods would make you feel better."

"Yes," Stacie agrees, nodding sagely. "But unhealthy food will make my soul feel better."

Aubrey rolls her eyes. "Chinese?"

"How about pizza with mozzarella sticks and jalapeno poppers and wings and soda?"

Aubrey turns toward her, eyes wide and mouth slightly opened in shock. "You weren't kidding."

Stacie grins widely. "Nope."

Aubrey rolls her eyes and starts dialing the pizza place with the best food nearest campus, and Stacie can't help but watch her. She's glad Aubrey's here, and she's already distracted from the, currently slight, pains in her abdomen. She won't admit it out loud, but she's relieved that Beca and Chloe were selfish enough to forget about her. She's happy that Aubrey chose to check in on her, and she's almost ecstatic that she's getting some one on one hang out time with her.

She didn't want to admit it to Beca earlier, but she was truly disappointed in herself for not going to practice and therefore not getting her daily interaction with Aubrey. So as much as she wants to kick Beca for not coming back and bringing her food, she's relieved that Aubrey's here instead.

"Okay," Aubrey says, hanging up the phone. "It should be here in 35 minutes."

Stacie scoots closer to the wall and pats the open spot on her bed for the blonde to come sit next to her.

Aubrey doesn't hesitate this time, and walks over before plopping herself confidently next to Stacie and settling in with only a few inches between them.

"So what are we watching?"

Stacie shrugs and pulls up a browser and logging in to her and Beca's shared Hulu account. "There's a new episode of Parks & Rec that I haven't gotten around to watching yet." She figures that a short show would be better for pizza timing than watching a movie and having to pause it when the food came.

"Yes," Aubrey nods happily. "I love that show."

"Have you seen this episode already?" Stacie asks, clicking the episode and pressing play.

"I have," Aubrey admits. "But it's good and I'd probably be able to watch it at least three more times before I get tired of it," she adds reassuringly after seeing Stacie's slight frown.

"You really don't mind?" She asks, just to be sure.

Aubrey shakes her head and leans in to Stacie, settling in the for show.

They sit like that, leaning shoulder to shoulder and watching the show, each laughing at Andy or Leslie's antics and the absolute deadpan of April.

"She's just like Beca," Aubrey says, catching her breath after a particularly funny scene.

"Beca's basically molded herself after April," Stacie says, cheeks starting to hurt from smiling so much. She doesn't think she's ever enjoyed watching this show as much as she is with Aubrey. She's not sure if it's because this episode is funnier than the rest, or if she's laughing along with Aubrey and reveling in the light, airy feeling that builds up in her chest at Aubrey's laughs.

"Oh my god," Aubrey sits up and looks over at Stacie with a smile threatening to completely overtake her features. She reminds Stacie of Andie at Christmas with her bright-eyed expression. "Please tell me that's where she gets the inspiration of her look from. Please. Give me ammo to torment her with."

Stacie grins knowingly. She understands Aubrey wanting to get after Beca, since all Beca does in practice is snark at Aubrey and her leadership choices. Beca will probably hate her, but she can't let Aubrey's expression go back to the usual business-only look.

"I'm not saying she's channeling her inner April," Stacie says carefully, "but I'm also not saying she wore just a few more girly things before this show started."

Aubrey's pealing laughter fills up the room and Stacie can't help but join in. She's never seen Aubrey this loose, though she's come close. From all that Chloe's told her about Aubrey, she never seems this carefree and, well, _fun_. Stacie isn't sure what's different about tonight, but she knows she always wants this version of Aubrey around. This is the version she could easily fall in love with.

That ling of thinking is interrupted with the ringing of Aubrey's phone, alerting her to the delivery of their food. Aubrey collects herself, dabbing at the tears that have gathered at the edge of her eyes.

"I'm totally going to use that against her," Aubrey says, going through her bag to produce her wallet. Stacie tries to hand her cash, but Aubrey shrugs it off. "I've got it. Just pause the show, I'll be back in a minute."

Aubrey all but skips out of the room and Stacie pulls out two bottles of water from her and Beca's shared mini fridge. She sets them up on her bedside table, not bothering to move much, since she's going to insist that Aubrey retake her previous spot.

It's only a few minutes later when Aubrey returns, holding a pizza and a bag of their extras. She looks much more composed now, though her cheeks still hold a slight tinge of pink.

"I've got water," Stacie says as Aubrey sets the bag down on her desk. "If you want, I can go run to the vending machine and grab a few sodas."

Aubrey shakes her head while grabbing the jalapeno poppers and mozzarella sticks. "I'm fine with water, thank you."

She puts the containers of food on the bed next to Stacie and grabs a couple pieces of pizza for them both and placing them on napkins that she took out of the bag.

They sit and resettle on the bed and resume the show. They're fairly quiet while they eat, but Stacie can't help but watch Aubrey out of the corner of her eye.

It's a little funny how Aubrey eats. Stacie isn't sure how Aubrey was raised, but she can tell by the careful and small bites, compared to Stacie's own ravenous bites, that Aubrey is a proper eater. She would not be surprised that if she and Beca had actual plates and utensils in their dorm room, that Aubrey would be the type of person to cut her pizza up and eat it with a fork.

Which to all pizza laws is basically sacrilege. So she's glad she doesn't have to kick Aubrey from her room for breaking an all precious pizza rule.

She almost chokes on a popper when Aubrey carefully blots the grease from the outside of a mozzarella stick, but covers it as a laugh at the TV. Really, watching Aubrey eat finger food is hilarious, and Stacie knows that she will make sure that this isn't the last time they have dinner and watch TV together.

Their show ends and Stacie immediately cues up older episodes of Family Guy before she sits back to finish enjoying her dinner.

"You watch cartoons?" Aubrey asks, eyeing her warily. It's like she thinks Stacie is a weirdo for still watching children's shows. Never mind the fact that Family Guy should not be watched by children. Ever.

Stacie shrugs and bites a mozzarella stick, pulling the remainder away from her mouth and trying to break the cheese bridge that still connects the pieces. When she succeeds, she chews a bit, but answers before swallowing. "I've been known to binge watch a few cartoons in my day." At Aubrey's look she continues. "Family Guy, The Simpsons, South Park, Futurama…" Aubrey still looks confused. "Have you never watched any of these?"

"Cartoons are for children," Aubrey answers, looking away from Stacie.

Stacie can't help but laugh. "These cartoons are definitely not for children."

Aubrey shrugs in response and finishes off her pizza crust, chewing slowly. "I wouldn't know," she answers once she's swallowed and washed it down with a sip from her water bottle. "I didn't have a TV growing up."

"Ever?" Stacie can feel her eyes growing in equal parts surprise and horror. Who raised their children without TV? How is that even a way to live? Stacie couldn't imagine her childhood without her staple shows. For her, TV has always been a good way to escape and relax. She can't imagine what it would be like to not have that outlet at all.

"My parents believed they rotted brains and diminished attention spans."

Wow. Stacie knew Aubrey isn't joking by the tone her voice took when explaining her parents' decision. It was like she was reciting something told over and over to her, and by the change of cadence to Aubrey's tone, Stacie knew those weren't her words either.

Instead of going off about how ridiculous that decision is, Stacie instead exited out of Family Guy and began searching through her favorites until she landed on Bill Nye the Science Guy.

"What's this?" Aubrey asks, narrowing her eyes in confusion as the episode starts.

"This was my favorite show growing up," she explains. She sees Aubrey's eyes light up when she tells her that, but instead of dwelling on it, she continues. "If you missed the staple shows as a child, you need to catch up and relive the 90's with everyone else. So this is the best educational show out there."

Aubrey nods excitedly and settles in more comfortably next to Stacie after moving away some of the trash.

They're pressed quite close together now, shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip. Stacie wouldn't consider herself someone who thrives off of physical contact, especially not like Chloe, but she can admit that sitting this closely to Aubrey and being as comfortable as she is, that she would not mind being this close to her more often. It's comforting, Aubrey's presence, and Stacie can feel Aubrey lean into her a little more as the show goes on.

It's a while later, after the third episode of Sabrina: The Teenage Witch ends, that Stacie notices Aubrey has fallen asleep. They're more securely entwined now, having happened in an attempt to get more comfortable when they'd switched shows. Aubrey's head is lightly resting on Stacie's shoulder and her hand is splayed across Stacie's stomach, where earlier she was pulling on the little balls of fuzz that stuck themselves to her pajama shirt.

Stacie's own arm is settled around Aubrey, almost holding the blonde against her. She didn't even realize her arm was there, but she shrugs it off (metaphorically, since Stacie's reluctant to move and disturb Aubrey's slumber). Aubrey didn't make her move her arm away, and she didn't seem to mind when it happened, so Stacie figures that it's a move that's been allowed.

She slowly and carefully closes her laptop and reaches over Aubrey to put it on her nightstand. When she settles back down, Aubrey sighs and tightens her hold on Stacie.

Stacie smiles and allows herself to burrow closer into the blonde and shuts her eyes, enjoying the warmth and comfort from the blonde beside her.

She isn't going to let Beca off the hook completely for bailing on her, but she's glad she did. Especially if it meant a night with Aubrey.


	10. Chapter 10

_If you guys haven't been reading Knappster's one shot stories in Omelette, take a moment and read chapter 11 (Burn), for some truly painful angst. The first half of this chapter is in direct response to that. (Be nice to Knappster though, she's the person that makes sure this is readable.)_

* * *

Aubrey sighs happily as she feels arms being tightened around her. She doesn't exactly know how long she's been awake, but the breathing next to her has barely shifted before her bed partner is pulling her closer.

It's nice, she thinks, to wake up and be this warm, this comfortable. She's never felt so _right_ laying next to someone like this. Not even Chloe when they'd crash after binge watching too many movies or seasons of Friends. It's almost as if the arms she's laying in were made specifically for her. To be the strong, comforting presence she needs, but at the same time provide the warmth and comfort she never got as a child.

She feels the body next to her shift again, this time pulling away slightly, and she frowns. She tightens her own arms and groans in protest but the gentle chuckle entices to open her eyes and offer a more serious glare. The sight that greets her quickly melts her annoyance and permanently burns itself into her brain, sure to be there until the day she dies.

Stacie's smile is soft and kind. She's resting on one elbow, her other arm still wrapped around Aubrey, their legs still tangled together. The sun is shining directly on her, but Stacie doesn't seem to mind the soft morning sunlight, and Aubrey doesn't mind the brightness. Her skin is clear, almost glowing with the light, making everything else seem soft and ethereal, and her eyes have more blue than gray this morning, making them appear more of a sea green than the gray green she so often sees.

"Morning," Stacie says, smiling wider.

"Hi." Her answering smile is soft and content.

Aubrey adjusts herself so she's closer to Stacie, missing the warmth and the connection. It's comforting to be so close to her, and it fills Aubrey with a sense of home, something she's always had a hard time finding. She felt it to a lesser degree with Chloe when they met freshman year, but with Stacie, it's like Aubrey has the home and family she's always desired. Stacie adjusts her own arm, not removing it entirely, resting it on Aubrey's hip. Her fingers dance lightly over Aubrey's lower back where her tank top has ridden up.

"How'd you sleep?" Aubrey asks, her voice a little thicker than before. She gently tries to clear her throat and dislodge the feeling that's building in there.

"Never better," Stacie answers with a sly grin. "In fact, I had a very interesting dream." Stacie punctuates the end of her statement by running her fingers from Aubrey's hip to her abdomen. They pause right above the tie to her sleep pants before returning to her hip.

"Oh?" Aubrey cringes internally at the breathiness of her voice.

"Mmm," Stacie responds, her eyes flicking between Aubrey's own and her mouth.

"What was it about?" This time there's barely any voice to Aubrey's question. Not that Stacie needs it, because as soon as the last word is out of Aubrey's mouth, she connects their lips.

There's a beat of absolute stillness around them when their lips meet. It's peaceful, like waking up from a long and restful sleep, the one moment right before eyes open and the world becomes real. Then Stacie's lips start moving.

It's everything Aubrey had thought it would be and Aubrey can't help but pull Stacie closer to her. She tangles a hand in Stacie's hair, her other resting at the back of her neck, feeling the heat and steady, if slightly elevated, beat of Stacie's pulse under her palm.

Stacie's lips are soft and reassuring; gently encouraging her but not pressuring her to move it along. It's sweet that Stacie is happy to go Aubrey's slower pace. That's not to say Aubrey is hesitant, because she isn't. She's been thinking of this kiss for what feels like ages, even going as far back as to the actual moment she met Stacie, and she returns the kiss with equal, if not more, fervor.

Stacie moans quietly as Aubrey asks to deepen the kiss, her tongue smoothing lightly over Stacie's bottom lip. The brunette eagerly obliges, opening her mouth and happily meeting Aubrey's tongue with her own.

Their kiss continues, languid and perfect, and just as relaxing as the rest of the morning has been so far. Which kind of confuses Aubrey, since she would figure that if anything, kissing Stacie would do the opposite of relax her. And she does feel a warmth settling low and deep, but it's not overwhelming. It's there, she feels it, but she isn't letting it dictate her need.

That is, of course, until Stacie's hand moves up, successfully sneaking under Aubrey's tank and brushing her thumb over the bottom of Aubrey's rib cage.

Aubrey gasps at the feeling, opening her eyes and pulling away slightly. She didn't realize it before, but as soon as her lungs take in more air, she can feel her heart beating heavily against her ribs, and the warmth that had settled low in her gut has turned into an inferno.

She meets Stacie's eyes, so much darker now than they were before, and can see her lust reflected back in them along with something else that Aubrey didn't think she'd ever see. A sort of love, so deep and understanding that Aubrey had thought only soulmates could feel as deeply as she feels for Stacie. As she thinks Stacie feels for her.

Stacie's lips are swollen and red, and she pants lightly against Aubrey's lips. She doesn't move to reconnect their lips though, instead choosing to wait until Aubrey is ready again.

Aubrey can feel a strong surge of _something_ rush through her, and she eagerly brings Stacie back to her. Their lips move together again, but this time it's more heated; Aubrey finally allowing to heat and passion to take over.

She keeps her right hand on the back of Stacie's neck, and allows the other to trail down along the contours of Stacie's neck. She stops and traces her clavicle, thumb gently pressing into the dimple between the two bones. She breaks their lips away and leans over Stacie, letting her left hand hold herself up and allowing her right hand to continue its descent.

She gazes down at Stacie, taking in the wide, dark eyes bright with lust, the panting, the flushed cheeks, and smiles to herself. She's proud that she can turn Stacie into this panting mess. Her hair, usually so perfectly coiffed, is mussed from Aubrey's hands and sleep, with a few strands sticking to the light sheen of sweat on her temples. But mostly, it's the feeling that Stacie is letting Aubrey affect her like this, that makes her proud. She knows from stories that she's overheard between Beca and Chloe that Stacie isn't one to get easily flustered or allow people to fluster her.

She smiles and kisses Stacie gently, before pulling back, just slightly, and asking, "So is this what your dream was about?"

Stacie smiles, her hand tightening on Aubrey's hip as the other cups her cheek. "Almost," Stacie says, still sounding a bit breathless.

"Almost?" Aubrey's sure Stacie can hear the playful tone in her voice.

"Let me show you," Stacie answers, hooking a leg on Aubrey's hip and easily flipping them.

She doesn't give Aubrey much of a chance to respond before connecting their lips together. This kiss is shorter than the others, as Stacie moves her mouth to Aubrey's cheek then jaw, kissing along her jawline and down her neck. She stops when she reaches Aubrey's pulse point, and sucks, gently taking the skin between her teeth.

Aubrey moans, not even noticing that Stacie's hand has moved again and is raising up, still under her shirt, to cup her breast. When Stacie's thumb brushes over Aubrey's nipple, she moans again, and her hips involuntarily roll.

She feels Stacie chuckle against her neck as she swipes over it again, adding just the lightest amount of pressure and her thumb grazes the nipple, and groans in frustration.

"Patience," Stacie says, lifting herself from Aubrey's neck and gazing down at her.

Aubrey whimpers at Stacie's teasing. "Please," she breathes. She can feel the heat and moisture gather at her core, and she's slightly embarrassed about how turned on she already is. And she knows that it's not even Stacie's skill that is turning her into this panting mess, though Stacie is certainly skilled, but that it's Stacie herself. And she couldn't be happier that it is Stacie.

Stacie must see something in Aubrey's expression, because before Aubrey knows it, she's reconnected their lips, and shifting her weight back over her hips to better hold herself up. Her hand continues to gently massage Aubrey's breast, her tank top now bunched just above it.

Her other hand, no longer needed for balance, takes the opportunity and trails down Aubrey's abdomen, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its wake before it stops at the tie to Aubrey's sleep pants.

"Are you sure?" Stacie breathes, pulling back just enough to allow for the words to pass between them.

Aubrey, unable to answer, just nods and lifts her hips when Stacie pulls a string, loosening her pajamas enough to pull them off.

Stacie connects their lips once more before resuming her trail south, her mouth leaving hot, open mouthed kisses down her neck, passed her collar bone and stopping for a minute to admire both of Aubrey's breasts before moving further down.

Aubrey's heart feels like it's going to beat out of her chest and her hands tightly grip the sheets beneath her. She feels Stacie's warm breath on her, and shivers when it ghosts over her hip bone after a loving kiss was placed there.

She meets Stacie's gaze as Stacie stops just before she connects where she so desperately needs her.

"What are you waiting for?" Aubrey pants, _needing_ Stacie to continue.

"Are you going to get that?" Stacie asks.

"What?"

Stacie's eyebrows furrow and she jerks her chin to Aubrey's phone where it lies on her nightstand.

Aubrey looks over at the phone, hearing, for the first time, the vibrating.

She shakes her head. "No, ignore it."

"Aubrey," Stacie starts, before a loud silence interrupts her. She furrows her eyebrows and looks around.

"Aubrey!"

Aubrey groans and brings her hands to her forehead. "Why?"

"Aubrey come on!"

"Come on, Aubrey," Stacie says, sitting back and moving to the edge of the bed.

"Wait, where are you going? Just ignore it!" Aubrey tries to grab Stacie's arm, desperately trying to make her stay.

"It's time to go!" The buzzing on her nightstand is louder now, as is the voice outside.

"Aubrey!" A loud pounding hits her door and Aubrey shoots up, legs tangled in the sheets and forehead plastered in sweat. She quickly tries to compose herself, groaning as she shuts off the alarm on her phone.

"I'm up!" She calls to Chloe, who is still hitting the door like it has personally offended her.

"Finally!" The redhead calls through the door. Aubrey can tell she's moving back to the kitchen, probably ranting along the way about Aubrey's uncharacteristic tardiness.

Chloe knows, of course, that extended time with her family tires Aubrey out, and that, combined with the after New Year's traveling rush, exhausted Aubrey enough that as soon as she returned back to her and Chloe's apartment she promptly crashed. The tiredness and stress frustrates Aubrey enough that she knew she would need to rest before Bella's rehearsal. And though the redhead couldn't know what she just interrupted, but that doesn't make Aubrey any less frustrated.

The holidays were exhausting enough, and Chloe and Stacie's constant texts barely got Aubrey through it. It helped, of course, that Stacie texted Aubrey most often through the break, seeming to not be happy to be home with her mother and sister.

It didn't help that Beca had chosen to spend this Christmas and New Years with Chloe and her family, so Stacie had nobody to rant to. But Aubrey doesn't mind being that person for Stacie. Especially since Stacie was that person for her this time around.

It was truly beneficial to Aubrey, though, since being the main person that Stacie was ranting to, she learned a lot about the freshman. Which, Aubrey thinks, makes their connection feel even stronger. Knowing and learning about Stacie was easily the best part of her Christmas break, and she can't wait to actually see her in person.

She hasn't heard from Stacie since the brunette got back to Barden a few days earlier. Classes start again tomorrow, but Aubrey had called for a Bellas rehearsal to add some extra practices before Regionals in a few short weeks. She had ordered everyone to keep up with cardio over break of course, but knowing the girls she's sure the only cardio any of them got was opening their presents or having sex. (The latter pertaining mainly to Beca and Chloe – she didn't want to think about anybody else in the bedroom.)

Aubrey quickly shakes off whatever frustrated state her dream left her and throws on the first work out clothes she finds, mindful that probably half of this rehearsal will be cardio.

"Finally," Chloe says when she finally makes it out to the living room. She's sitting on the couch, arms crossed and legs bouncing. "If you wanted time to yourself you should've put a scarf on the door like we agreed."

Aubrey pauses from slipping her shoes on and look up at Chloe. She's confused, no doubt, but Chloe's words elicit a bright blush to bloom on her cheeks. "What?"

"Look," she says, getting up and making her way to the door as Aubrey finishes tying her shoe. "I'm not judging, you're alone, you don't like sleeping around and I'm sure you're tense and frustrated." Chloe opens the door and makes her way out while she speaks, voice travelling down the hall as Aubrey hurries to catch up. "But if you're going to play with yourself can you not schedule a Bellas rehearsal and force me to come back to change? I love you Aubrey," she says with a sidelong look at the blonde, "but I don't really want to hear that."

"I wasn't doing anything!" Aubrey tries to insist as they reach the main door. She doesn't even sound convincing to her own ears and she knows Chloe doesn't buy it for one second.

She doesn't; just raises an eyebrow at Aubrey as they walk down the steps and towards the rehearsal space on campus. She walks along, still staring at Aubrey with a disbelieving smirk growing on her face at Aubrey's deepening blush.

"Shut up," Aubrey mumbles, trying not to admit any guilt. She can't control her dreams, and even if she could she knows she probably wouldn't anyway. Or at least wait until she had time to have _that_ particular dream. "It was a dream," she admits a few minutes later as they enter campus.

She doesn't make eye contact with Chloe but can feel the redhead eagerly grinning at her, waiting for more information. When Aubrey doesn't give it she frowns.

"Okay but who was in it?" Aubrey remains silent, walking faster and leaving Chloe behind.

Chloe catches up and keeps pace with Aubrey. "You're really not going to tell me?" At Aubrey's silence, Chloe sighs. "Fine, but I'm pretty sure I know who it was about anyway."

Aubrey shoots Chloe a glance but keeps walking, smiling to herself when Chloe lets out a huff of frustration.

They reach the rehearsal space where, luckily for Aubrey, none of the girls have arrived yet. She quickly unlocks the door and places her things on a nearby chair and taking off her jacket, leaving her in just a long-sleeved thermal tee, before going to the board to write out the day's plans.

Thankfully for Aubrey, Chloe chooses to set up chairs instead of pestering Aubrey more about her dream.

She's about done writing her plans when a soft, but familiar "Hey" comes from behind her, startling her. She jumps, unintentionally losing her grip on the whiteboard marker and sending it towards the tall brunette behind her.

Luckily for Aubrey, who doesn't think she could embarrass herself any more this day, Stacie is quick and coordinated enough to catch the marker, grabbing it between her two middle fingers on her right hand, the tip brushing against Stacie's wrist to leave a prominent blue streak.

"Sorry," Aubrey mumbles, looking down and trying to hide her blush.

"It's no problem," Stacie says with a laugh, handing Aubrey back her marker. "How was rest of your break?"

Aubrey replies only with a grimace.

"That good, huh?"

She finished writing and caps the marker, going to her bag and placing it back. She turns back to Stacie, and answers her with a shrug. "My parents aren't great people to be around. They only really wanted me back for appearances sake, so other than a few mandatory parties, I pretty much had nothing to do." Stacie nods with understanding, and Aubrey smiles lightly back at her. "I'm glad to be back, though."

"I'm glad you're back too," Stacie tells her with a genuine smile. She, Beca, and Chloe had all been back for a few days now, and while they haven't really talked since just after New Year's, Aubrey knows how the other two can get, probably either leaving Stacie to either fend for herself or suck it up and deal with their disgustingly fluffy antics.

"You had the other girls to hang out with, I thought?" Surely Stacie could have found other people to hang out with instead of waiting for her.

"I did," Stacie agrees nodding. She waits a moment before finishing her thought, intently studying Aubrey's expression. She doesn't know what the brunette finds, but with a final nod and a shy smile Stacie continues, "but they aren't you."

Stacie's words awaken the warmth in her belly that was ignited during the dream, and Aubrey can't help but smile back at the brunette. "I missed you too."

Stacie surges forward, wrapping Aubrey up in a hug. When Stacie's hand brushes the back of Aubrey's neck on its way to her shoulder, a few very vivid scenes from the dream flash through Aubrey's mind. She squeezes her eyes shut at them, knowing that it's not the time or place for the reminder. It's not fair to Stacie to have those thoughts around her either, and Aubrey tries to rein them in and just live in the moment. It doesn't work well, and Aubrey can feel her face getting warmer.

They break their embrace when they hear a loud squeal, and both turn to look at Chloe who is jumping up and down excitedly and squealing at them. Aubrey is sure her face is so hot she could cook an egg on it.

She clears her throat, trying to regain some form of composure and looks back to Stacie. "Practice is about to start. Why don't you go say hi to the other girls for a moment while I make sure everything is set up?"

Stacie tears her confused gaze from where Beca is trying to wrangle a hysterically laughing redhead and offers Aubrey Beca's signature smirk. "Sure thing, Bree."

As Stacie walks back to the group, easily immersing herself in their conversation, Aubrey turns to face the board and buries her face in her hands and groans. She takes a minute to compose herself before turning to the group and starting their cardio.

A little over two hours later, the group of grumbling freshmen (and Denise) are walking out of the auditorium as Aubrey and Chloe clean up.

It takes, what Aubrey considers to be a long time in regards to the redhead, for Chloe to bring up Aubrey's dream again, but in reality is only a few minutes after the others have left.

"It was about Stacie," Chloe says, a proud smile on her face.

Aubrey doesn't answer with anything other than a firm "Shut up," which only confirms Chloe's suspicions.

"I saw the way you threw the pen at her," Chloe continues, stacking chairs happily as she teases Aubrey. "Y'know, normal people just ask each other out on dates. Throwing things usually comes later on in the relationship."

Aubrey sighs, taking the teasing. It does no use arguing with Chloe when she's like this, and Aubrey would rather let her have her few minutes of fun while it lasts. Instead, she pulls up her sleeves, warmed from the exercise and the reorganizing, and grabs her bag.

"Are you coming Chloe?" She asks over her shoulder as she makes her way to the door. She's nearly there when she realizes she hasn't heard a response from the redhead and turns around to see what's up.

Chloe's frozen in front of her own bag, staring intently at Aubrey's hand that's carrying her bag, a frozen expression torn between bewilderment and shock on her face.

"Chlo?" Aubrey asks, waving her hand in front of the redhead's face. A few very confusing seconds later, Chloe seems to snap out of it, shaking her head and tearing her eyes away from Aubrey's bag. "You okay?"

"Fine," Chloe offers a smile, but it's unconvincing at best.

"Right…"

"It's good, just thought I forgot something at home. No big deal," Chloe shoulders her own bag and walks up to Aubrey. "Ready to go?"

Chloe's still acting off, but Aubrey shrugs. She knows Chloe isn't telling the truth, but figures if the redhead is lying, it's for a good reason.

"Yeah," Aubrey says, walking out with her best friend. "Let me just lock up really quickly."

Chloe nods and waits for her, thoughts running through her head and connections solidifying.


	11. Chapter 11

_I was going to apologize for this being delayed, but I have something else to say instead. It is not okay to tell an author to update a fic, or even leave a review that says "please update soon." Most of you guys are pretty good about everything, but adding pressure to an author - an author who is doing this for free - is not okay. You may not view it as something that's not a big deal, and normally it isn't, but it is adding pressure to something that, for me at least, is supposed to be a stress releasing activity. So please don't add pressure to something that's supposed to be pleasurable. It takes the fun out of writing and makes me start to resent it._

 _That being said, next week's update might be delayed as well, since finals are starting up. Patience is key here, I'll update when I finish the next chapter and have time to edit and review it._

* * *

"Has Chloe been acting strangely lately, or is it just me?"

Aubrey looks up from reading the score sheet while they wait for the final results and eyes the redhead. Chloe quickly looks away seeing both Stacie and Aubrey eyeing her and quickly strikes up a conversation with Cynthia Rose. "Yeah," Aubrey replies with a sigh, turning her attention back to the judge's comments.

"Did I do something?" Stacie frowns.

It's been three weeks that they've been back at Barden, and ever since that first rehearsal back, Chloe has been side eying Stacie and Aubrey whenever they hang out together, and all but avoiding Stacie completely.

A few days earlier she had walked into her dorm room to find Chloe chilling out on Beca's bed, waiting for the brunette to return from her internship at the radio station. When she saw it was Stacie instead, she quickly got twitchy and weird (for her), and made up some lame excuse before rushing out of the room.

Since then Stacie hasn't spoken to Chloe at all. It hurts a little that Chloe is avoiding her. She doesn't know what she did, or even if she did anything, but she wishes Chloe would just tell her so she can fix it. She misses her friend, and she really needs someone to counter Beca's negativity before she snaps and actually smacks her best friend.

She looks back to Aubrey, wondering what's taking so long to answer. Aubrey's glaring at Chloe's distracted form, a light blush on her cheeks and glassy eyes, as if reliving a memory, and Stacie is immediately put on alert.

"You know why she's acting so weird," she says confidently. She figures, between everything that she and Aubrey have bonded over and been through, that Aubrey would be at her side and willing to open up to her. So she's shocked when Aubrey all but snaps at her.

"Stacie," Aubrey huffs out her name, "I am trying to read the comments. I don't have time for this."

At Aubrey's harsh tone, Stacie jumps back slightly, hurt making its way across her face. Now she's sure that Aubrey knows exactly what she did, and she's pretty sure that whatever Chloe's been weird about, Aubrey's being weird about it too.

She quickly rearranged her features when Aubrey looks up apologetically, mouth open as if to apologize, but Stacie quickly waves her off before she can say anything.

"You're right," she ignores the tightness in her throat and the weight in her chest at Aubrey's chastising. "Sorry, I'll leave you alone."

She turns away from Aubrey, her chest tight with some emotion she can't actually name. She thinks it's a mixture between anxiety at pissing Aubrey off, guilt at pressing Aubrey's buttons, a little anger at being snapped at, and something else. Some sort of heavy feeling that was similar to the feeling that she got when she first read her soulmate's note all those years ago. Hurt, perhaps.

Which, Stacie realizes, is probably why it hurts so much to be snapped at by Aubrey. It's not the same as losing her soulmate, obviously, as that sort of catastrophic combustion of a relationship can really only happen once in a lifetime. It's more that losing Aubrey as a friend, even for as short of a time that she's known her, would lead to something akin, albeit to a lesser degree, of the hurt she felt four years ago. She figured that she would never feel as strongly as she feels for Aubrey, without her soulmate. That's the whole point of soulmates to begin with, she believes. To have that deep, all-knowing connection with someone else. And she thinks she has that with Aubrey, so she doesn't ever want to do anything that would make the blonde upset with her; and Aubrey's opinion and friendship matters to her more than a lot of things. She hasn't known her long, it is true, but she holds their friendship to the same level, if not slightly higher, than her and Beca's friendship.

And she can't even rationalize to herself why that is.

"Stacie wait," Aubrey calls softly, grabbing the brunette's wrist to prevent her from leaving. "I'm sorry," she says.

Stacie turns toward her, trying not to let the hurt show on her face. She's not quite sure she succeeds, because Aubrey's guilty expressions turns to one almost like heartbreak. "I am sorry for snapping at you."

Stacie looks away and shrugs. She doesn't want to speak because if she did she's sure that Aubrey would be able to hear the tears in her voice.

Aubrey pulls her closer and pulls her into a hug, which Stacie immediately returns. The contact is more than any apology Aubrey could offer with words, and immediately soothes Stacie's pain and angst. She's not even embarrassed that she returned the hug so quickly, since she knows that there's no use in fighting these feelings. She has tried long enough.

"She's been weird for me too," Aubrey says, pulling back slightly. She keeps close to Stacie, her hands resting lightly on her shoulders, and Stacie revels in the contact. It's soothing and comforting and she knows that if she and Aubrey ever fought, they should always end it with a hug. Or sex, but Stacie doesn't think that's on the table right now.

"Do you know why?" Stacie asks, furrowing her eyebrows. She doesn't like the idea of Chloe being upset with them both.

Aubrey shakes her head. "She was teasing me about something then got this weird look on her face. I don't know what's up."

Stacie accepts the answer. Obviously neither she or Aubrey know what is going through Chloe's mind and there's no point in pushing it.

Deciding to change the topic, Stacie nods her head at the score sheet in Aubrey's hand. "How'd we do?"

Aubrey grimaces, and Stacie can't help her fond smile as she leans back against the wall and looks down. "There were a few slip ups on choreography, and they said we sounded a little pitchy. They say good things about Amy's solo, but then point out the bad things. They apparently did not like her ripping her shirt open."

Stacie shrugs. She didn't see what the big deal was. Amy was obviously having fun, and the audience was right there along with her, when Stacie knows that before Amy's solo, they weren't reactive to them at all.

She says nothing, though, and together they stand against the wall until the scores are called out, and the Bellas take home second place. Stacie's pretty happy with the results. Why wouldn't she be? In her first competition second place is a very good starting point. She now knows what to expect when they go out on stage and she can see what they want.

It's a learning experience if Stacie's ever seen one, and she hopes that Aubrey, whom the others have reverted to calling the Aca-Nazi behind her back, sees it that way too. Of course with a quick look over her shoulder that hope is quickly erased when she sees Aubrey frowning at the other teams score sheets.

Well, at least Chloe seems pleased.

Stacie turns back around, falling back from Beca and Amy and settling in beside Cynthia Rose. They're quiet though, not finding a need to say anything besides a casual "hey."

They turn a corner and head down into the foyer of the theater, when Aubrey calls for them to stop, warily looking at the Trebles getting themselves into trouble with a bunch of older aca-dudes.

Beca's friend, Jesse, is trying to back away from where one of them, a smaller egg-shaped man, is trying to physically engage him. She glances down to Beca, who is getting fidgety and is repeatedly clenching her hands into fists. Stacie knows from multiple experiences that Beca doesn't take kindly to people picking on her friends, and she shifts forward, stretching to place a hand on Beca's shoulder and keep her in place.

"Ladies, don't engage," Aubrey warns from above them, probably seeing Stacie have to physically calm Beca and Amy psyching herself up. "Just ignore them."

"I've wrestled crocodiles and dingoes simultaneously," Amy says, starting to bounce in place, as if warming up for exercise.

The foyer seems to get quiet and very loud all at once, and over the noise, it's easy for Stacie to pick up on Jesse's voice.

"I don't want to hit you, man," he says as he backs away, holding one hand up, trying to calm the Tonehanger.

The idiot follows him though, not letting up, and says, "I just need to feel something."

Jesse's starting to seriously look worried and glances to his teammates, more than half of which are engaged in a verbal sparring match. His eyes shift frantically, looking for help, and Stacie can feel Beca tense under her hand when Jesse meets the shorter brunette's eyes.

Beca nods minutely, and gingerly takes Stacie's hand off her shoulder. "I'm just gonna…" She doesn't finish her sentence, and instead walks confidently towards her friend.

"Twenty bucks says that guy pees himself," Cynthia Rose says from beside Stacie, eyes glued on the action.

Stacie just rolls her eyes and looks behind her for help from Chloe or Aubrey.

Chloe's eyes are glued to Beca's figure, forehead creased with worry. Her bright blue eyes shift between Beca, and Jesse and the Tonehanger, never settling for long.

Aubrey on the other hand, is biting her lip in what looks like barely concealed excitement. Her eyes brighten when the Tonehanger starts to go after Beca. Stacie has just enough time to turn back and see Beca throw a left-hook at the guy, and see the guy drop.

Stacie shifts uncomfortably, imagining that hitting the egghead must've hurt, but secretly a little pleased with Beca.

Since Chloe's arrival into Beca's everyday life, she's been much calmer than she was in high school. She didn't argue as much with other people, and hasn't gotten into a single scuffle that was more than play. All things considered, five months was great for Beca's self control. And really, Stacie can't even blame her for taking action. She probably would have too, if somebody were harassing her friends.

Now though, the egghead is getting back up and asking for more, which only seems to rile Fat Amy up, as she runs toward him screeching "Unleash the fat power!"

It's not pretty, to say the least.

Stacie shifts to go try to break it up, knowing as she does that when Beca gets defensive, it's hard to calm her down, but a soft grip on her bicep stops her. She looks up and meets Aubrey's concerned expression.

"Don't go over there," the blonde cautions her. Stacie frowns, getting defensive. It isn't like she can't take care of herself. She knows she has more muscle on her than Beca does and can easily defend herself from that guy. But after a more careful examination of Aubrey's expression, Stacie picks up on the smaller cues – her slightly furrowed brow, her bottom lip just barely drawn between her teeth, and flicker of protectiveness that Stacie can just barely make out in the set of Aubrey's jaw and the minute tightening of her eyes – and she knows that Aubrey is just worried about her.

"Somebody's got to help her," she tries to reason with Aubrey. She doesn't know that she's always had Beca's back when it came to fights. She wasn't around and only knew _of_ them when most of the fights took place, so there's really no way she can convey to Aubrey how hard it is for her to sit back and watch Beca get herself into trouble. Which is of course exactly what happens next.

Aubrey opens her mouth, her frown just a touch deeper, but before she can get a word out, there's a crash followed by a sudden, shocked silence.

Stacie whips around to see Beca standing alone, Amy quickly – for her – running away down the hall, and a broken window. Beca meets Stacie's eyes, and Stacie quickly breaks free of Aubrey's grasp, lighter now with all the commotion, and makes her way to Beca.

"Are you okay?" She asks quickly, as she reaches Beca. A quick glance at the window reveals a police officer making his way over. Even if she wanted to, Stacie isn't sure Beca could get away at this point. "Fuck," she breathes out instead, standing tall by Beca's side.

Chloe rushes to Beca's other side, pulling her into a tight embrace. She watches the officer warily, and tightens her hold, as if she can protect Beca from anything the cop tries just by being there.

They watch as the cop examines the broken window and picks up the ruined trophy. "All right," he says, stepping through the new doorway, glass crunching under his feet. "Who wants to explain what happened here?"

There's a moment of silence from everyone still in the foyer, that's only broken by Aubrey, as she steps up next to Stacie.

"It's a misunderstanding, officer," she starts. "We were just getting ready to leave when we walked in on a confrontation between the Treblemakers," she gestures to where the three Trebles remain frozen, "and the Tonehangers."

The officer nods and grabs his notepad and begins to take notes. Aubrey keeps explaining, eloquently and confidently, and Stacie is almost positive that Aubrey has had practice talking down authority figures. She notices though, the tension at her shoulders, the subtle clenching of her jaw, and knows that Aubrey is not happy with this situation at all. Though Stacie doesn't know if it's due to the fact that it has happened at all, or whether it has to do with the authority figure itself that's stressing Aubrey out.

The officer turns to Beca next and takes her statement. Beca meekly explains, probably because she doesn't see a way out of getting in trouble, that she was only trying to help her friends and that with the force in which the trophy was yanked away from her, she really couldn't hold on to it.

When the officer moves to Jesse for his statement, Chloe pulls Beca into a hug. Seeing that Beca's being taken care of, Stacie turns to Aubrey, and places a comforting hand at her back, gently rubbing circular motions, trying to relieve the tension.

"You okay?" She asks her quietly, searching for any sign of an impending breakdown in Aubrey's steel exterior.

She sees Aubrey swallow harshly, but the blonde nods and moves closer into Stacie's space. Stacie takes advantage of the blonde's proximity and gathers her into a soft but strong hug, offering any support she can. She doesn't know why Aubrey's reacting so strongly, but she knows that at the very least, she can be right there with her.

After a few minutes, the police officer comes back around and Aubrey pulls away, Stacie reluctantly releasing her to face to officer again.

"All right ladies, it seems like your story checks out," he tells them, putting his notebook back in his pocket. "Unfortunately, I still have to take you in," he motions to Beca. "Someone has to be responsible for the window and since the person who you say is partially responsible is not here, there has to be consequences."

Beca tenses, her face getting pink in outrage. A sharp look from Chloe stops any outburst she has, and she swallows her words, instead clenching her hands into fists and shaking her head in slow anger.

"Will this show up on her record?" Aubrey asks, and Stacie turns to look at Aubrey. Her expression is hard and steady, letting the determination show through. Stacie thinks, as she watches the police officer meets her gaze, seeming bored and disinterested until he notices that she doesn't falter, doesn't blink, that Aubrey would make one hell of a lawyer one day if she wanted to be. Nobody would dare argue with her.

"No ma'am," the officer answers. "Not unless the school wishes to press charges over the broken glass."

Aubrey nods. "Beca and I will accompany you to the police station." She turns to Chloe next, the officer not arguing. "Take the girls back to school. We'll be back as soon as this is over."

Chloe nods and turns to round up the girls, sending Jessica and Ashley away to hunt Amy down. Stacie, however, doesn't move. Instead, she studies Aubrey, taking in her tense posture and straight back.

"Aubrey," Stacie says, taking a step closer and putting her hand lightly on Aubrey's forearm. She can feel the tensed muscles underneath and gently rubs her hand in a soothing gesture. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you? It wouldn't be the first time I've talked Beca out of trouble."

Aubrey meets her pleading gaze steadily, and takes a deep breath. Stacie can almost see the tension release, though almost nothing in Aubrey's posture changed.

She smiles softly at Stacie. "I'm just going to clear this up. We'll be back shortly." Stacie's expression doesn't change, and Aubrey adds in a softer tone, "Really Stace, we'll be okay."

Stacie nods slowly. She isn't happy about leaving Beca and Aubrey, but she has confidence in Aubrey's abilities to clear up the issue.

"Stacie, let's go!" Chloe calls from the opposite hall. With one last look, and a nod from Aubrey, Stacie follows.

She's nervous and distracted the entire ride home. The other girls, barring Chloe, are joking around and laughing, seemingly unperturbed over the entire incident. Amy isn't even acting like she feels guilty about almost getting Beca arrested.

When they arrive back at campus, Stacie's completely done with the girls. She doesn't even stick around to wait for Chloe as they get off the bus, instead choosing to march directly back towards her room and wait for her best friend to come back.

She thinks she vaguely hears someone call her name, but she doesn't stop or slow down. Throughout the entire ride home, and a little before, she has been getting increasingly agitated. The nerves, worry, and irritation with Chloe and her fellow teammates, building to a point where she thinks she's going to explode. She's irritated with Chloe for being uncharacteristically cold towards her. She knows also, that whatever is going on with Chloe, it will only take a little while, and probably a bit more frustration on Stacie's part, before everything comes to a head and Chloe spills whatever it is that has been bothering her.

When she finally gets back to her room, she sits on her bed and breathes. This isn't how she'd expected her evening to go at all. She's worried about Beca, absolutely, but she knows Aubrey will make sure nothing really bad happens to her.

No, it's not really Beca she's worried about, she assures herself, it's Aubrey. She knows the blonde is capable, she knows the blonde is sure and strong. What she doesn't know is why the blonde was so tense, why, when she thinks back, she was swallowing so heavily. She's not sure if it has to do with authority in general for Aubrey, or if that's just how she handles tough situations, but Stacie knows it's Aubrey who needs the support right now, and not Beca.

Stacie stands and makes her way over to the window, checking the sky. The cloudless night seems clear, the basic constellations shining through despite the light pollution. It's not the best conditions, but she knows staring into the heavens is the best bet at calming her nerves and grounding herself, since she's sure she has to wait at least a few hours for Beca and Aubrey to return.

She steps back from the window and pulls her telescope out from her closet. It's not her best telescope, just something she made in high school when she was bored, but it works. It works well enough that it got her a trip to the White House senior year of high school and a national award. She's pretty proud of it, though the quality is somewhat lacking compared to her high resolution telescope. It's comforting to her nonetheless, and she eagerly sets it up and aims it at the sky.

She fiddles with it for a while, until she can just barely make out a nebula. She adjusts some dials and checks her coordinate journal before going back and staring at the bright colors.

Right before she gets the image clear, there's a soft, timid knock at her door, pulling her out of her concentration. She huffs and rights herself, turning the telescope off and throwing a light blanket over it to keep it clean.

"Come in," she calls, turning her back to the telescope and facing the door. She crosses her arms in front of her as the door opens to reveal a redhead and the rest of the Bellas behind her.

"Hey," Chloe says, glancing around the room and avoiding Stacie's hard gaze. "The girls were wondering if we could all wait in here for Beca and Aubrey to get back…" She trails off when she sees Stacie's expression hasn't changed.

Stacie sweeps her stare over the other girls, who all look hopeful and fairly happy, and nods her consent. She's not really in the mood for other people, but she can't fault them all for being here for Beca.

"Yeah, come in," Stacie gestures to her room. "Don't touch Beca's things or I'll kick you out," she warns them.

She moves to her bed and sits, pulling out a file and smoothing the edges of her nails to hide her annoyance. The girls seem to pick up on her mood and mercifully leave her be, instead turning to Chloe for entertainment.

It's not that long, probably only an hour or so, before Beca is walking in the door, Aubrey following closely behind.

"You guys waited up for me?" Beca asks, a small but genuine smile threatening to break out.

"Of course we did," Chloe says, standing from her seat at Beca's desk and walking across to room to embrace the younger girl. The other Bellas look away, trying to give them their moment privacy.

Stacie's eyes, however, are still glued to the blonde still standing in the doorway. Aubrey looks tired, the events of the day have obviously been wearing at her, and Stacie wants nothing more than to pull her to her bed and lie down with her. Instead, she walks slowly, almost cautiously, towards Aubrey and pulls her into a tight, but comforting embrace that is almost immediately returned.

She doesn't want to pressure Aubrey into revealing anything or pressuring her into doing something she isn't comfortable with, so she doesn't question why speaking to the police officer and going to the station with Beca is such a big deal. She doesn't feel as if she needs to know. She can already read Aubrey well enough to know that she doesn't want to talk about it, and Stacie knows that pressuring Aubrey to do something she isn't comfortable with will only lead to an argument.

"You okay?" She asks instead, pulling away from Aubrey almost completely. She runs her hands down Aubrey's arms, keeping contact the entire time, leaving the only place they are still touching their intertwined hands.

Aubrey studies her for a moment. Not long enough for the other girls to become suspicious between their interactions, if they aren't already, but long enough that Stacie knows that Aubrey isn't going to lie to her or blow her off.

"I've been better," Aubrey says, her voice quiet enough that the other girls have no chance of hearing anything.

"So what's happening now?" Ashley breaks the quiet of the room. Stacie turns around to face her completely, and everyone's attention shifts to the blonde next to her.

"Right," Aubrey says, seeming to mentally shake herself and get to a topic. "The score cards revealed that the Sockapellas almost beat us." Her gaze shifts to Amy and settles, her voice taking on a certain hardness to it. "Amy, you need to do the routine exactly as we rehearsed, okay?"

Amy nods and looks down sheepishly, but it's Beca whose voice rings out next.

"No, we need to be different. The Sockapellas are interesting. We put the judges to sleep." There's a tired tone to Beca's voice that makes Stacie think that they've had this conversation before, and recently. "If you would just let me arrange a set…"

"We stick to tradition," Aubrey all but snaps. "I'm the captain and I say we do the routine as rehearsed."

"Aubrey, maybe she's got a point," Chloe says. Her voice is quiet but there's a strength in there that is usually absent in the face of an argument. If anybody hates confrontation, it's Chloe.

"Yeah, the Trebles never sing anything twice, and the audience loves them," Cynthia Rose says, sitting up straighter.

"I can even do an arrangement of songs written by, and performed by women," Beca insists, moving to her laptop to pull up her music library.

The other girls start to nod and speak up in agreement. Stacie can't help but cast a nervous glance towards Aubrey, seeing the blonde steeling herself for another verbal smack-down.

"That is enough!" Her voice rings through the room, and everybody falls silent. "There will be no more of this puerile behavior. We will sing the songs in our set list now, and that is the last I want to hear of it." Some of the girls meekly nod, while others remain silent.

"Now," Aubrey says, trying to pull herself and everyone back together. "It is late and I suggest we all head back to our rooms to get some sleep. We will have rehearsal tomorrow afternoon, as per usual."

A few groans and scoffs sound, but everyone quietly gets up to leave, filing out the door swiftly, lest they incur more of Aubrey's wrath. That left just Beca and Chloe, and Aubrey and Stacie in the room, each pair standing at different ends as if readying themselves for a duel.

"Aubrey," Stacie says, her voice soft and quiet in the room, but just enough of a disturbance to break the staring match going on between the two captains.

Aubrey turns to her and her gaze softens, turns almost affectionate. She reads Stacie quickly, and sighs, putting a hand to her temple and massaging it. "You want me to change the set list too."

"At least listen to some of the suggestions," Stacie says with a shrug. "You don't have to change it if you don't feel comfortable, but at least listening to some of Beca's mashups might give you a better idea of what we can do. We could _win_ , Aubrey." Her eyes are pleading, and Aubrey looks so tired that she doesn't want to bring up an argument that would only further rile the senior up. But Aubrey needs to know and Stacie has a feeling that if Chloe tried suggesting the change, the redhead would only be shot down harder.

There's a long pause before Aubrey lets out a world weary sigh and turns to Beca. "You have two weeks," she says to everybody's shock. "Two weeks to bring me three different arrangements that works for all of our voices and are doable."

Beca nods enthusiastically and Stacie can see that she's trying to keep a smile back.

Chloe squeals and throws her arms around Beca in congratulations. "This calls for a celebration!"

"Chloe it's nearly two AM," Stacie points out.

"No no, I know," she says, shaking her head. "We should have a Bellas' sleep over!"

"Chloe," this time it's Aubrey that tries to talk her down.

"It'll be great. A bonding experience!" Chloe claps in excitement. Stacie can start to feel some of Chloe's enthusiasm rubbing off on her and she knows that it could be a really great opportunity for the group to bond.

"I actually think it would be kind of fun," Beca chimes in.

Aubrey sighs and turns toward Stacie. "You agree with them?"

Biting her lip against her smile, she nods. Aubrey's head falls back with a sigh and Stacie can't contain her smile any longer. This sleepover has the chance to change everything.


	12. Chapter 12

_Hi everyone! I just wanted to say thank you for all of your support and love of this story! I am going to be taking next week off from writing so I can focus on finals, but I will hopefully be back the week after.  
_ _As for the response from the A/N from last chapter, thank you everybody for understanding. It is perfectly fine to say that you can't wait for an update, but I detest being told what to do. It's just about your wording. Things like "I can't wait for more!" or "I hope you update soon!" are okay to say, whereas "update soon please" and "update!" are telling me what to do and are very much unappreciated.  
Enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

"Bree you don't have to clean the whole house, the girls are probably going to mess it up anyway," Chloe says as she walks into the kitchen to find Aubrey furiously scrubbing the marble countertops.

"Then they're going to clean it back up," the blonde answers, her teeth clenched and brow furrowed in concentration.

She's not entirely happy about the sleepover, and even less so about it being held at her and Chloe's apartment. The timing of it too could be better, but Aubrey can see Chloe's point for having it the night before Semi-Finals. Like having everybody in the same place. At the very least, it seems to have made Chloe happy, and while she hates her space being impeded upon, she's glad that it's gotten Chloe out of her funk.

To be honest, even Aubrey can admit to herself that she thinks Chloe's idea for the Bellas' sleepover is a good idea. She knows the discourse within the group over the set list would be soothed, if only temporarily, by the bonding. And she couldn't disagree that it was needed.

After her speech after Regionals, the tension in the group has grown exponentially. Rehearsals have been tense and everybody seems to be walking on eggshells around Aubrey. Nobody argues with her, but she can tell from the silences and the few very quiet huffs after each run-through that most of the girls want to say something. She feels that the only reason they haven't ganged up on her and called for a coup is the threat of more cardio, which even Chloe encourages.

On one hand, Aubrey is actually kind of pleased with the other girls' behavior. Only she, Beca, Stacie, and Chloe know of the agreement to listen to different sets, so the other girls hold their tongues and listen to what Aubrey says. It's a sign of respect, if she's ever seen one, the lack of arguing against her. She can tell the girls actually like a cappella enough to not just want to quit, which only gives her the more control over the group. It's a tiny bit manipulative, she knows. And sure, she feels a little bit guilty over the necessity of ruling with an iron fist over the girls, but it's the only way she knows how to lead.

And that brings her to her displeasure. She doesn't want to lead the girls by becoming an aca-dictator. She can see the similarity between her behavior and her father's and that terrifies her. She wants to be nothing like him. It's his influence and the pressure he applied to her all throughout her life that led her to making the biggest mistake she will probably ever make.

She resents him for that. It's part of the reason she does not speak to him unless absolutely necessary; why her conversations with him are usually short and precise. There's very little love between Aubrey and her father, and if, or when, she finds her soulmate, she would choose her over her father in less than a heartbeat.

She doesn't want to become him, and she doesn't want to make the same mistake that she made before. She sees now that she can't let him have that much pressure over her life. Especially not enough to influence her decisions with a group he doesn't approve of in the first place.

Which is why she gave in to the pressure from her friends and allowed Beca to come up with a different set list. They're good, she can admit. Two of the arrangements are easy enough to master, and with Chloe helping with choreography there's no way the songs won't be a hit. She knew they wouldn't have time to perfect an arrangement for Semis, but they'll at least have the option for finals. If they make it that far.

And Aubrey is determined to make it that far. She knows that their sound and set list are solid enough to get them there. As long as everyone does everything exactly as planned, she knows they have a chance to knock everyone out of the water for Finals.

She huffs and rinses the rag of the marble cleaning agent before throwing it in the laundry room to be washed later. The girls aren't supposed to arrive for another couple of hours, so when the doorbell rings, she's confused. She looks around for Chloe, who is coming out of her room wearing a small smile, when the door opens before the redhead can get to it.

"I told you I had a key, you didn't need to ring the doorbell," Aubrey can hear Beca say.

She makes her way to the front of the apartment to see Beca and Stacie walking in, arms loaded down with grocery bags. Chloe helps them by taking a few, placing a soft kiss on Beca's cheek before she makes her way to the kitchen.

"It's still considered polite to be invited in," Stacie counters, closing the door behind her.

"What are you guys doing here?" Aubrey asks, then cringes as she realizes her tone was a bit sharp. She doesn't want to alienate herself from everyone else so early in the day, but her stress over the coming evening showing through just a bit in her tone.

"It's nice to see you too," Beca responds with a smirk. She isn't phased by Aubrey at all, and Aubrey is glad. She continues, dropping a grocery bag on the floor and reaching into her back pocket. "I have the other sets here for you, in case you wanted more. You don't have to listen to them tonight, but the sooner the better," the brunette advises as she holds out a flash drive.

Aubrey steps forward and takes the piece of plastic from Beca's outstretched hand and grabs the bag the brunette set at her feet.

"Thanks," Aubrey says, making her way to the kitchen to put away the groceries.

The two freshmen, Stacie still loaded down with bags, follow her into the kitchen. Chloe's already there cutting up a melon for the fruit salad they'd agreed would be made for the sleepover. It was probably the healthiest thing that would be on tonight's menu, but Aubrey made a convincing argument that most of the girls were living on dorm cafeteria food and would probably need the vitamins.

"You can put your bags on the counter," Aubrey says, placing her bag on it.

The girls follow her lead, Beca immediately pulling out more fruit and giving it to Chloe to add to the salad.

"Hey," Stacie says, putting her bag next to where Aubrey's is.

Stacie's clothes show off her curves and Aubrey really can't help the way her eyes trail over her form for a moment before answering. She's dressed comfortably in a soft v-neck tee, an open hoodie, and yoga pants. She makes Aubrey feel simultaneously over- and underdressed in her jeans and old high school volleyball t-shirt that she cleans in.

"Hi," she eventually responds, a light blush dusting over her cheeks at Stacie's small smirk. "Is that what you're wearing tonight?" Aubrey asks, trying to disguise the fact that she definitely just checked Stacie out.

She knows Stacie doesn't buy it by the widening of the tall brunette's smirk. She leans a hip against the counter and crosses her arms, gazing at Aubrey. "You have a problem with the way I'm dressed?"

There's a teasing lilt to her voice and Aubrey tries not to rise to the bait. "Nope. You look great." She can immediately feel the blood rush to her face and immediately wants to facepalm herself.

At her admission, Stacie grins fully and pulls Aubrey into a hug. Aubrey can feel the quiet chuckles bubbling up through Stacie's chest. "Thanks Bree," Stacie says.

The proximity of Stacie's mouth to her ear, and the feeling of her breath as she gives her thanks makes Aubrey shudder in pleasure. Her attraction to Stacie has only been growing, as is her comfort opening up to the brunette.

They pull back, and Aubrey immediately looks away, trying to hide her blush. When she feels as though she's composed enough, she turns back to Stacie and smiles lightly. "So what'd you guys pick up?"

They go through the remaining bags and place the six frozen pizzas in the freezer and start preparing the other finger foods for the girls. It had been previously decided that they would all start off with a movie, then start heating the food. So Aubrey, in perfect partnership with Stacie, moves around the kitchen and prepares the appetizers while Beca and Chloe work on chopping fruit.

It's wonderful that with Stacie, Aubrey feels comfortable. She and Stacie dance around each other, weaving and bobbing and working together with wordless communication. When Stacie needs a triangle of dough for the stuffed poppers, Aubrey breaks one off and hands it to her before Stacie can even look up to grab it for her.

They're so compatible in the kitchen it's like they've been living and cooking together for years. They act much like Beca and Chloe do, working and joking together easily, often breaking out into random song that everyone joins in on.

At one point, Aubrey looks up to see Chloe studying her and Stacie, a contemplative look on her face. When Chloe notices she's caught Aubrey's attention, she grins at the blonde and shrugs before going back to the task in front of her.

They all work in perfect companionship until there is nothing left for them to do.

It doesn't take long for the girls to start arriving and everything to get started. They watch the first movie, Titanic, much to Beca's complaints, and before Aubrey knows it, they're flowing into dinner and conversations.

She doesn't know how it started, but eventually everyone starts asking everyone else questions. It's a given truth that everyone answers honestly, which makes Aubrey a little nervous.

She doesn't have much to hide, but she's not proud of how she treated her soulmate, and she doesn't want the other girls judging her for her past mistakes. She deserves it, she knows, but she feels as though her soulmate's punishment and the punishment she inflicted upon herself for her actions is enough and she doesn't want to be punished by everyone else as well.

When Cynthia Rose chooses Aubrey to answer a question, she feels herself tense up waiting for the inevitable.

"So Cap," Cynthia Rose pauses to gauge everybody's reactions over her being the first to ask Aubrey anything. "Who is your favorite band or singing artist?"

Her gaze falls on Aubrey, clear and intense despite the bottle of tequila that is being passed around. Aubrey, though relieved that the question is one she can answer, remains tense. She feels like this question is about more than her taste in music and will reveal to the other girls more about herself than she would normally be comfortable with sharing. But that's the point, she supposes. This is supposed to be a bonding experience. If she refuses to answer a question as seemingly simple as this one, why would they continue to share who they are with the group when the leader isn't willing to share herself?

So after a short moment of consideration, Aubrey shrugs. "It changes fairly often," she says, meeting Cynthia Rose's gaze evenly, "but right now I'd probably have to say Andrew Belle."

There are a few murmurs and head nods and everyone accepts the answer, easily moving on to Ashley, who is seated right next to Cynthia Rose. When she asks Denise her question, Aubrey allows her gaze to survey everyone, making sure they're all content, and meets Stacie's curious gaze.

She offers a small smile to the brunette. Stacie studies Aubrey for another moment before answering the smile with one of her own.

"Stacie," Jessica's voice breaks their connection. She's sitting next to Ashley as usual, and Aubrey feels another pang of jealousy towards the other pair of soulmates in the group. Both Aubrey and Stacie turn to regard the blonde. "Who was your first kiss?"

Stacie laughs at the question as Beca chokes on the sip she just took of her soda. When she composes herself, she smiles brightly at Jessica and gestures to Beca, who is still trying to catch her breath. "Beca was my first kiss."

Beca's face flushes red as Chloe looks at her with an amused grin gracing her features. The other girls laugh at Beca's reaction to Stacie's nonchalant admission.

Aubrey knows Stacie's pretty blasé about her sexual history, and doesn't view anything wrong with experimenting. And while she doesn't blame her for having her fun, Aubrey can admit she's more than a little bit jealous that Beca has gotten to kiss the brunette.

"Even though you knew that Chloe was Beca's soulmate?" Jessica asks. She sounds confused and slightly incredulous, but very much interested in the answer.

Stacie laughs and leans back into the couch where she's seated next to Beca. She pats her friend's back, trying to make sure she breathes as she answers nonchalantly. "Sure, Chloe knew. She didn't seem to mind at the time." She throws a grin to Chloe who responds with a bright grin of her own. "Besides," Stacie continues, much to poor Beca's horror. "I taught Beca everything she knows and I don't think Chloe's complaining."

Chloe shakes her head and mouths "nooo" as she gathers Beca up into her arms and squeezes her.

The girls laugh, enjoying Beca's embarrassment and the questions continue on. It doesn't take long before the girls are all talked out and they sit around to enjoy another movie.

It only takes a few minutes of deliberation, but before long the next movie is starting and the girls are settling back in.

It's not long into the movie, maybe ten or fifteen minutes, when Beca apparently decides she has done enough watching and starts making moves on Chloe. Stacie doesn't seem to mind at first, probably used to the random displays of affection, but she scoffs every time there's a quiet moan or a particularly wet sounding separation of lips.

Aubrey can't help a small smirk, as they make everyone in the room, not just Stacie, exceedingly uncomfortable. It's probably petty, but at least everyone knows what she and Stacie have to deal with now on a daily, sometimes hourly basis.

"Seriously you guys?" Stacie huffs, as she's shoved into the corner of the couch by Beca's feet.

Aubrey can't help a small chuckle and draws Stacie's glare to her. She immediately tries to sober up, but isn't sure she succeeds when Stacie narrows her eyes and shoves Beca's feet off the couch. She stands up, ignoring Beca's glare, and makes her way to Aubrey with a suspicious smile.

"What?" Aubrey asks, her voice low to avoid the attention of the other girls. Nobody seems to be looking their way anyway, pointedly trying to ignore the make out session happening behind them.

Stacie doesn't say anything. She just throws a wink at Aubrey, turns around, and plops herself right on Aubrey's lap.

A few of the girls look over their shoulders at them when they hear Aubrey's surprised "oof!" but otherwise keep their comments to themselves. It's probably not surprising in the least for them anyway, since Stacie and Aubrey are usually in some form of contact anyway.

Stacie adjusts herself to get comfortable and leans back into Aubrey, sighing happily. Aubrey doesn't mind the invasion of space and being squished into a one-person chair. So she adjusts herself for the long run, shifting her hips so that there are no serious pressure points under Stacie's weight, and pulls Stacie closer.

They sit like that for a while, neither of them being uncomfortable enough to move. The movie drones on in front of them, but Aubrey isn't paying attention. Instead, all of her attention is centered on the brunette sitting on her.

She takes in Stacie's features, lit by only the TV in the dark room, and admires her. The curve of her jaw, her soft eyes, the content tilt to her lips. Everything about Stacie appeals to Aubrey, and she is sure she will never feel bored just staring at her.

Seeming to sense Aubrey's attention, Stacie turns her head and looks at her, a single eyebrow raising in query.

Instead of answering the unspoken question, Aubrey just shakes her head, a small smile gracing her mouth as she continues to study Stacie.

There's something about the way the soft blue light washes over Stacie. It softens her features and adds a depth to her eyes that Aubrey hasn't seen before. She knows without a doubt that if things were different, if things weren't so complicated, that she would have already made her move. Probably during their first meeting, where Aubrey truly felt their connection for the first time.

She can't explain it even if she tried. She doesn't understand the soulmate bond to begin with, but she's sure that if she can feel this way about someone she's not bonded to, that the bond itself is irrelevant.

Maybe her parents were right about soulmates, as much as she hates the thought. Her parents, who never seemed anything other than cold, drilled into Aubrey the notion that soulmate were magic, and therefore unrealistic. That soulmates were a chemical reaction that aided nothing but making stronger, more desirable offspring and keeping the parents around to raise them.

Of course, coming from people who base their lives and livelihood around the basis of fact, anything with any sort of supernatural element would seem unrealistic – despite the resounding data contradicting it.

Aubrey sighs quietly, considering her own soulmate. The probability that they would ever talk again, or even meet, is so small that she almost feels guilty for not feeling guiltier. Sure, the lost opportunity stings, but even if she had her soulmate, she still would have met Stacie. And just judging by the connection between the two of them, she can't imagine a soulmate bond being stronger.

She sees the way Beca and Chloe are close, and knows that even though she and Stacie aren't there yet, it probably wouldn't be long before they were. She can very easily see herself fall head over heels for Stacie, and would even argue that she's more than halfway there already. All she needs is to step up and make a move to continue down that path.

Glancing around the room to make sure there was no extra attention on them, Stacie shifts, a more playful smile on her lips as she moves closer into Aubrey.

"What?" She asks, her voice a whisper laced with amusement. It's not the first time they've caught the other staring at them, and Aubrey is positive it won't be the last. And while being in a darkened room full of Bellas isn't the most ideal place for Aubrey's next move, she feels as though she can't wait any longer and let another moment pass without being acted upon.

Aubrey leans forward, bringing their foreheads together affectionately and tightening her arms where they're wrapped around Stacie.

"Nothing," Aubrey replies just as quietly. "I just…" she pauses, looking deeply into the flickering green of Stacie's eyes. There's something in them that makes Aubrey feel as though she can say anything and Stacie will still be there. Still care. "I really like you."

Though delivered in a whisper, Aubrey can feel the reverence in her voice. The emotion that she wasn't quite able to keep locked up anymore shining thorough.

She closes her eyes briefly, reveling in the force of her feelings finally breaking through and forcing their way to the surface. It's sweet, and strong, and all together there. The heady rush almost makes Aubrey dizzy, but a soft stroke of a thumb on her cheek makes her open her eyes again, and instantly she's grounded.

Stacie's staring at her intently, cheeks slightly darkened and eyes deep and glistening in some emotion that Aubrey can't quite read. The brunette's hand stays steady and warm on Aubrey's cheek, though the thumb paused its ministrations as soon as Aubrey's eyes met hers. Stacie's eyes, more blue than green in the soft light of the television, flick back and forth between Aubrey's own, looking for something.

Aubrey can feel her lungs start to protest the lack of an inhale, briefly wondering when she stopped breathing, before shakily inhaling.

Hearing her stuttering breaths, Stacie smiles and brings her other hand up to Aubrey's face, holding her softly, but steadily, in place before leaning in.

Time seems to slow down the closer Stacie gets to her. Aubrey can hear her heart thundering against her chest as she exhales the breath she had again not noticed she held. It would be embarrassing for her to let anybody else but Stacie see her so discomposed – barely able to keep her breath, unable to calm her nerves – but with Stacie it's like none of it matters. She knows that Stacie will be there to catch her when she falls, and she can only hope that Stacie falls with her.

And judging by the smallest gasp that escapes Stacie's lips when they meet for the first time, Aubrey's sure they're in it together.

Every recount of soulmates meeting and kissing and being together for the first time that Aubrey has heard in her life all seem to focus around the physical. How time seems to stop and nothing but the touch of a soulmate is what can be focused on. The sparks flying, the fireworks behind eyelids, the electric feeling when they meet all without missing a single thing and not noticing the world around them.

Aubrey isn't sure why that would be preferable to what she's experiencing now, but she supposed to each their own. She wouldn't trade this for the world.

Stacie's lips are soft and sweet against hers, the slightest taste of root beer lingering behind from earlier gives it a sweet taste. It's warm, and sure, and it's the best first kiss that anybody could ever ask for – even if it does take place in a room full of their friends. There are no fireworks for Aubrey. Instead what she feels is an almost overwhelming sense of calm and comfort, and warmth. As if Stacie is like coming home on a rainy day and curling up with her favorite book and snuggling under a blanket. She's snug in the soft chair, feet tucked to her side and leaning into the plush armrest. She's warm where Stacie's against her, expertly seated as to not put any weight uncomfortably against Aubrey. And where their lips touch is just the soft comfort of familiarity, as if they've been doing this for years instead of a few moments.

It's perfect, and it is everything Aubrey could have ever dreamed of and more.

But of course, as all perfect moment must, it ends as quietly as it began. Stacie pulls back biting her lip to hide her shy smile.

Aubrey however, doesn't hold hers back.

"I really liked that," she whispers. Her voice is slightly louder than it was before, the huskiness in it making it hard to keep quiet.

"Yeah?" Stacie releases her lip and her smile brightens more as her cheeks darken.

Aubrey nods. "Yeah."

"I did too."

Stacie leans down to connect their lips again, but before they can touch, a pillow is pelted at them and they spring apart.

Aubrey almost growls as she turns an icy glare towards the girls, all of whom are looking at Beca next to an overly innocent-looking Chloe.

"You guys are disgusting," Beca says with a shrug, amusement breaking through her tone. "You should like, get a room or something."

"Like that time I –"

"Enough," Aubrey says with a warning look at the brunette, who just sighs and crosses her arms. "Beca is right," she continues, ignoring Stacie's scoff. "We should all go to sleep now anyway. We have a big day tomorrow."

The girls nod with only a few grumbles about the lack of a "girl fight," as Cynthia Rose puts it.

When the air mattresses are set up and the bed in the couch is pulled out, Aubrey makes her way back to her room closing Chloe's door loudly as she passes by. She smiles to herself when she hears a yelp and a thud followed by Chloe's laughing.

She closes her door softly behind her when she enters the room, and turns to her dresser to put on her own pajamas.

"So are we going to finish what we started earlier?"

Aubrey gasps and jumps, a hand making its way to her heart as she spins towards the voice.

Stacie's sitting in her bed nonchalantly, flipping through a novel Aubrey had been making her way through slowly. She looks up with an amused smirk at Aubrey's reaction but doesn't comment on it, instead going back to the book.

"Stacie!" It's an admonishing hiss, but Aubrey can't really find it in her to be mad at the brunette. She figured Stacie had been in the bathroom when she left the living room, but she is definitely not upset by her presence in her bedroom.

She finishes choosing her sleep clothes and shuts the drawer behind her, turning and studying the brunette with interest. "We can, if you want. But I'd like to remind you that there are eight other girls in the house and every single one of them will be merciless if we make noise."

Stacie pauses her perusing and quirks her lips considering. With a weary sigh and sets the book down on the nightstand and leans back against the pillows. "I suppose you're right. We'll just have to wait."

Aubrey smiles at her and makes her way to her bathroom to change and get ready for bed. When she comes back out, Stacie looks much more relaxed and comfortable, playing games on her phone.

"Scootch," Aubrey says, walking up to the right side of the bed and gently nudging Stacie over. "You're on my side."

"I don't want to move," Stacie pouts and looks up at Aubrey, pushing her bottom lip out and widening her eyes.

Aubrey rolls her eyes in response. "That's not going to work. Now scootch." She pushes a little more firmly and Stacie reluctantly moves over, grumbling the whole time.

She makes herself comfortable before ensuring that her alarm is on and shuts off her bedside lamp. She turns over moves closer to Stacie, pushing her front against her back and sighing happily.

They're quiet for only a few moments before Aubrey speaks. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She feels Stacie shrug and start to turn over, so she loosens her grip to allow her to and brings her closer when she's settled.

"What's there to talk about?" Stacie asks, seemingly unperturbed.

Aubrey thinks for a minute, trying to gather her thoughts. There's a lot to talk about she knows, but she also knows most of it can wait until morning.

"What is this?" She asks. She knows what she wants it to be, knows what she feels and what she _thinks_ Stacie feels. But she needs to know for sure what Stacie wants. The last thing she wants is to force a situation unwanted by Stacie, even if it is unintentionally.

She feels Stacie take a deep breath, seeming to consider the answer seriously before speaking. It takes a few moments but she thinks she can feel Stacie nod to herself before speaking. "I like you. I want this," there's a movement of Stacie's hand over them, motioning between the two of them, "all of this. Whatever that is."

Aubrey can feel a smile take over her features, and wishes she hadn't turned the light off so soon so she could see Stacie more clearly.

"And the soulmate thing?" She asks a little more hesitantly, knowing it's a sore subject for the both of them.

"It's not an issue," Stacie assures. "I don't know them at all, and I doubt I could feel any more strongly for them than I do for you."

"Even if they wanted to make amends?"

Stacie's quiet for a minute and Aubrey begins to tense, fretting the answer. She knows Stacie's considering the question thoroughly, and Aubrey wants her to. She doesn't want to jump into this knowing there's a possibility that it could all fall apart the moment Stacie meets her soulmate. She doesn't even know what she would do if she met hers, let alone what she would feel. She considers the question for herself as well, thoughts only interrupted when Stacie answers.

Her words are calm and tentatively placed, and Aubrey knows she's considering them very carefully.

"What happened between my soulmate and I happened years ago," she explains. "And while I forgive them for the words they said, I'm not sure I could forgive them for the way they were said. I'm assuming my soulmate was young, and I know full well that being young is about making mistakes. So while I'm ready to forgive them, I'm not sure I could ever be with them, knowing that they made me feel the way they did." Aubrey furrows her brow in thought, thinking that there's something familiar about the way Stacie spoke about her soulmate. "But," Stacie continues, drawing Aubrey back out of her head. "I meant what I said earlier. I can't imagine feeling as strongly as I do for you for them, so I don't think it will be a problem."

Aubrey smiles at the reassurance and pulls Stacie closer to her. She rests her head next to Stacie's on the brunette's pillow, feeling the soft exhales on her skin.

"I feel the same way," she says, her voice no more than a whisper. "I've messed up a lot in my life, but I intend to make this work. No matter what it takes."

"Then we're doing this?"

Aubrey smiles as she nods. "We're doing this."

Stacie leans forward, gently brushing their noses together before placing an off-centered kiss to Aubrey's mouth. "Wonderful."

Aubrey can't help but return the sentiment and Stacie rolls back over and pulls Aubrey's arm with her so she's being held.

When Aubrey wakes up, she opens her eyes and immediately groans at the light. When her eyes adjust, she looks at the time, noting the alarm is set to go off in only a few minutes.

She sighs and settles back in, determined to wait out the minutes in comfortable warmth, and lets a smile take over her expression, remembering the night before. She can't help but move back into Stacie's embrace, noting that they switched positions in the night and it is now Stacie holding her. She revels in the warmth and happiness, and she opens her eyes to take in Stacie's still sleeping form behind her.

When she turns around, Stacie's left arm stays static, resting just over Aubrey's hip, and Aubrey's gaze traces it before stopping a focusing on a small tattoo on the inside of her upper arm.

She squints slightly, trying to work through the haze of sleep to make it out. It looks like a blotched infinity sign, the lines still delicate and sure but with clouds or something equally as rounded sprouting off of it.

She studies it for a few minutes, before widening her eyes in recognition. Forget-me-nots. Just like the infinity sign she drew out of boredom a little over a year ago. Exactly like it.

All of a sudden everything makes sense. The connection, the feelings, the absolute comfort and certainty she feels with Stacie despite only knowing her for a short period of time. The way that upon their first meeting, everything in the world seemed to quiet and slow down, the way Chloe told her it did when she met Beca for the first time. Or the way the world seemed to right itself for her.

She thinks back over the last semester and a half that she's really known Stacie, other than the girl that was Chloe's soulmate's best friend.

 _Chloe_.

Aubrey's eyes widen. She knows! Aubrey understands now why Chloe has been so weird the last couple of weeks. Why she keeps staring at Aubrey and Stacie as if she's seen the light and understands and is just waiting for them to catch up.

When the alarm goes off, Aubrey all but jumps out of her skin, barely holding back a shriek. She quickly turns over and away from Stacie and shuts off the alarm, sitting up and rubbing her face.

What is she going to do? Does she just tell Stacie? What is this going to do to them? Is there even going to be a them to do anything to if she tells her? If she doesn't tell her she's sure she will lose Stacie anyway, so she knows she can't keep this from her.

She looks over at the brunette who is grumbling and trying to adjust her eyes to the light.

"Morning," the brunette greets her with a sleepy smile and a gravelly morning voice. The cuteness of the gesture is almost lost on Aubrey though, as it does little to reassure her or calm her down, despite the fact that it's _Stacie_ in her bed and saying this.

"Hey," Aubrey answers and immediately winces. Her voice is high and shaky and she's sure it didn't pass Stacie's notice.

And she's right, as Stacie lifts her head and stares at Aubrey with a furrowed brow. "What's up? You okay?"

Aubrey nods frantically, and begins to feel her stomach rolling. She takes a deep breath and swallows heavily, ignoring the way her mouth salivates in preparation for vomit. "Stace, I have to tell you something," she says. Her voice is still shaky, but the more she talks the steadier it becomes.

"What's up?" She sits up now, moving closer to Aubrey and looking much more awake. She puts a comforting hand over Aubrey's and Aubrey immediately turns hers over and latches on, reluctant to let go. Especially since this might be the last time she's able to hold it.

"Stacie, we're s –"

"Everybody up! Up up up!" Chloe pounds on the door, interrupting Aubrey.

"You were saying?" Stacie asks after throwing a glare at the door. Her expression is much softer than it was a moment before, but before Aubrey can say anything, Chloe is back at the door pounding away.

"If you guys aren't decent get that way because I'm coming in!"

They don't get much time to react before the redhead barges in like a tornado, opening blinds and pulling the sheets off of Aubrey and Stacie before leaving just as quickly as she came in.

"Let's get going, we have an hour and a half before we have to be on the bus and moving. Stacie you go get ready first."

Stacie nods quickly, likely frightened by Chloe's mania and gathers her uniform. She pauses before she enters the bathroom.

"You were saying?"

But Aubrey doesn't have a chance to tell her before Chloe is calling for Aubrey from the kitchen.

"Can it wait?" Stacie asks, taking a step back towards Aubrey.

"It really shouldn't," the blonde admits. She stands up and passes Stacie, daring to press a quick kiss to her lips before backing away slightly. "But it'll have to."

Stacie nods with a bright smile and heads into the bathroom, closing the door tightly behind her.

Aubrey takes a deep breath and makes her way into the kitchen, ignoring the chaos of seven girls scrambling to get ready.

"Finally!" Chloe exclaims upon seeing her. "Took you forever to get out here. Too much nookie tire you guys out?" She throws in a wink for effect, but it's completely lost on Aubrey who just stands like a statue in the kitchen.

"Aubrey?" Chloe asks, furrowing her eyebrows and stepping forward. She puts her hand on Aubrey's shoulder and squeezes gently, trying to get her attention.

Finally, Aubrey comes to her senses and meets Chloe's worried gaze. Almost as if she's underwater, she can hear herself speak the truth she had only just found out.

"Stacie's my soulmate."

There's a beat of silence where gentle understanding washes over Chloe's features and she nods. Before she can say anything, however, a new voice breaks in.

"What?"


	13. Chapter 13

Humming happily, Stacie makes her way out of the bathroom now dressed in her Bellas uniform. She drapes the jacket on Aubrey's bed, before turning around to examine her appearance in the full-length mirror on Aubrey's closet door. She can't help but catch herself smiling as she recalls the night before.

She can only remember a few instances where she has been this happy in the past, most of them from before her father's death. It's not that she hasn't been happy since, because she has, it's just that Aubrey makes her feel complete and at peace; like absolutely nothing can go wrong. She feels almost invincible.

It helps her mood that she's slept better the night before than she has since she left home, leaving her in a cheerful mood anyway. She's not sure if it was the presence of Aubrey, though that certainly made the night that much better, or if she was in a bed she actually fit in. That's not to say she's too big for the dainty twin in her dorm room, because she _can_ fit herself in it. But the dorm bed is hard and small and she isn't really able to stretch herself out like she can on a queen.

Either way her mood brings forth a smile as she gathers the rest of her belongings from the room and makes her way to the living room. The rest of the girls are packing up, all dressed and ready for breakfast. She looks around, seeking the source of her joy, but frowns when she doesn't see Beca, Chloe, or Aubrey.

She puts her things by the front door and makes her way to the kitchen, pausing with one hand on the door when a voice calls out behind her.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you," Ashley warns as she sets her own bag next to Stacie's.

"Why not?" Stacie pauses and looks at the brunette.

Ashley wide-eyes the door and looks back at Stacie, shaking her head slightly. "It's not safe. They were arguing about something earlier before Beca slammed the door. We haven't heard anything else since, but Amy tried to go in and check on breakfast and she ran out before the door could swing shut behind her." Ashley pauses, quirking her mouth. "Just… don't be surprised if there's blood."

Stacie looks back at the kitchen door and shrugs. None of her friends would dare snap at her. And she knows Aubrey's stressed enough about semi finals, so she decides to go in and disrupt any fighting and break the tension.

She walks in, face determined. The girls are all on different sides of the kitchen and pause in their arguing to look at her when she comes in.

Almost immediately she can feel herself get defensive from the sharp looks directed at her. She glares at each of them in turn, leaving Aubrey for last before softening her expression slightly. She's a little peeved that whatever it is they're arguing about can't be put off for a later date. She knows, both by Aubrey's unrelenting conditioning of the Bellas over the past few days and her own intuition, that to move on to finals all of the Bellas need their heads in the game. Not focusing on the discourse within the group.

"What is going on?" Her voice is hard and affects both Aubrey and Chloe, who look away from her guiltily. Beca, on the other hand, keeps her glare focused on the blonde, jaw clenched and face flushed.

" _Beca_ ," Stacie snaps, causing Beca to jump and look at her with wide eyes.

"What happened?" Her tone leaves no room for argument. Beca opens her mouth to answer, brows still furrowed in an almost angry line and cheeks flushed, but Chloe interrupts her before she can say anything.

"Beca and Aubrey were arguing about the set list again, no big deal." She shrugs and Beca and Aubrey look at her, both with unhappy expressions. " _Aubrey_ will decide the songs we sing and we should just let her do her thing," Chloe adds with a hint of hardness directed at Beca.

Stacie furrows her brows in confusion at Chloe's tone. She has a feeling that this argument is about more than the set list. Not that Beca and Aubrey don't regularly fight about it, because they do. It's more that this argument, whatever it is about, seems more personal, more heated than the ones before it.

Beca scoffs and walks out of the room, letting the kitchen door swing shut firmly behind her. Chloe jumps slightly at the noise and looks guiltily at Aubrey before placing a hand on her arm for a brief moment and following her girlfriend out into the living room.

"Okay that was weird," Stacie comments, looking back to Aubrey.

The blonde merely shrugs and turns around, spooning fruit and granola into bowls of oatmeal lined up behind her.

Frowning, Stacie's good mood starting to waver, she moves forward and wraps her arms around the blonde. Despite how irritated Aubrey must be, it takes only a few seconds for her tense posture to relax back into Stacie, exhaling a deep sigh.

"Do you want to tell me what that was all about?" Stacie asks quietly, her voice slightly muffled by Aubrey's shoulder.

"I do," Aubrey says, bringing a hand up to Stacie's head and holding her close for a moment. "But I think it should wait until later."

Stacie pulls back enough to see the guilty look in Aubrey's eyes and she knows she will make good on her words. Aubrey doesn't seem like the person to lie and hold things in when they're bothering her, and Stacie definitely isn't the type of person that will let someone compartmentalize their problems. Especially not if it's someone she cares about.

"All right," Stacie agrees, pulling back and standing next to Aubrey. "What do you need help with?"

She doesn't miss the grateful smile Aubrey throws her way before continuing to spoon the fruit into the bowls.

"If you can start taking these to the girls," Aubrey says with a nod of her head at the completed bowls.

Stacie does as she's asked and before long all of the Bellas are eating with minimal complaints over the healthy breakfast.

She's nearly done with her own breakfast when Aubrey comes into the living room and starts gathering the girls to get on the bus. It will take them a few hours to reach the campus where semi finals are held, so Stacie steps onto the bus tentatively, knowing that she'll probably be stuck next to the same person the entire trip.

She glances at Beca as she passes her, seeing her glaring at nothing out the window and vetoes sitting next to her. She loves Beca, but is she's going to be in such a negative mood, Stacie doesn't want her to lash out at her.

Chloe, seated on the opposite side of Beca, smiles up at Stacie as she passes but quickly brings her worried gaze back to the broody brunette, and Stacie decides she doesn't want to sit with Chloe and her pining for the entire six hour drive. She continues back until she's seated behind Chloe, smiling at Cynthia Rose across from her.

It's a good seat, one that allows her to scrutinize Beca's behavior and Chloe's seemingly forced joy. She knows something is still up with everyone and she's determined to figure out what it is. She thinks it has something more to do with what Aubrey has to say to her later, but she hopes that whatever it is that's causing the rift between them, that it is something that's petty and small. Something that can be healed.

She dreads being asked to pick sides.

Before long, Aubrey boards the bus and gives a rousing speech, trying to bring morale and competitiveness in the group up before they're on their way.

Stacie doesn't mind that Aubrey chose to sit ahead of Chloe, though in moments of sheer boredom – looking out the window can only entertain for so long – she wishes she could talk to the blonde. She knows that would probably be counterproductive to Aubrey's mindset though, just judging by the tense set of her shoulders two rows ahead of her.

She figures she could go up and try to relax the blonde, but isn't really sure she would be welcomed. Don't get her wrong, she knows Aubrey likes her, she knows Aubrey wants to spend time with her, but she's also pretty sure that nothing good would come out of Stacie forcing her way into the blonde's company. That isn't how their relationship works – as friends or as more.

She figures if Aubrey wants her, she'd do something to let her know. Instead she passes time by shooting Beca confused and worried glances as she continues to drown out the world around her. She doesn't know what's going on with her, but for the first time in a long while, Beca's behavior is getting on her nerves.

She doesn't need whatever added drama Beca is trying to bring to the day. She trusts Aubrey. Beca may not be completely happy with something Aubrey has done, but Stacie knows that if Aubrey told her she'd tell her about it later she will. Stacie doesn't need Beca butting into her relationship and digging holes in it.

From the moment she walked in the kitchen this morning, Beca's attitude towards Aubrey has been bringing out a protectiveness that she hasn't felt since she told off Andie's fifth grade bully. Unlike Andie though, Stacie knows Aubrey doesn't need her to protect her. She figures that as long as Aubrey knows Stacie supports her and is in her corner, Aubrey can fight her own battles. Though that probably won't stop Stacie from laying into her best friend on Aubrey's behalf, if needed.

After a fairly leisurely stop for lunch and a gas fill up, they're back on the road. Stacie tried to ignore the tension between her friends as she sat down for lunch, but it was noticeably palpable and she had to change tables to actually be able to eat.

When Amy gets a burrito thrown at her when they stop to fill up on gas, Stacie's pretty sure it's a sign that everything else is about to go bad and crumble. But, thanks to Aubrey's impeccable planning, all of the girls brought extra blouses, so it isn't a big deal. The morale is significantly lower after Amy's all cleaned up, however, but as soon they're back on the road the tension lessens.

Chloe too, seems tired of the tension as she starts singing. It's her bubbliness that gets the others to join her, and with the entire group's pressure on Beca, everyone joins in.

That must have been the breaking point of the day though, because before they even finish the song, their bus runs out of gas, and all of the effort that went into breaking the tension is thrown out the window.

The girls, already tense with anxiety for the coming evening, start to crack under the pressure and fear that they might miss the competition all together. Aubrey, as much of a leader as she is, is not the best example for keeping calm as she noticeably holds back her irritation long enough to call for help.

A tense phone call with AAA later, and Aubrey informs them that it will be at least three hours until they can get a gas refill.

"Maybe we can call the Trebles?" Chloe suggests. She glances between Beca and Aubrey, hoping for some sort of back up.

"That's a good idea, I have Bumper's number," Amy supplies when there's no comment.

Stacie nods in agreement, but says nothing. She knows Aubrey's barely holding on as it is, but they need a way to get to semis. If they wait for AAA – what is the point of having emergency roadside service if they can't actually get anybody out to them in a timely manner? – they'll all be late. And they can't afford to lose this competition.

Aubrey sighs and throws her head back before conceding, and Stacie walks over and stands next to Aubrey. She's not sure if touching her would help calm her down or wind her up, so she hopes her presence is enough to ease her.

They don't have to wait long before the Trebles are pulling up next to them and Donald is graciously opening the doors and welcoming the Bellas in.

The rest of the ride is interesting to say the least. Both teams warm up their vocals with verbal smack downs, and by the time they reach the theater, they're all fired back up and ready to go.

That is, until they get behind stage and watch as the Footnotes completely decimate any chance they had at placing.

Stacie and Beca stand next to each other behind the curtain and watch the group's lead singer. He's a flirty little shit, and seems to purposefully trying to get under the Bellas' skin, as he throws winks and dances without missing a beat.

"What the hell?" Beca mumbles as she watches, face drawn into a surprised frown. "How old even is that kid?"

Stacie shakes her head. Beca's got a point that the kid sounds and looks young, but she figures if he's been in his group this long and gotten this far he must be a full time student at whatever college he goes to.

When a particularly saucy wink is thrown Beca's way, she all but growls, fists clenching in agitation. Stacie pulls her away from the wings and over to Chloe and Aubrey who stare at the stage in worry.

"Where did they come from?" Stacie asks, worried and on edge.

Chloe, eyes wide but determined, does nothing but shake her head, and as the song ends the calls the Bellas over to rally them for their performance.

It's just as boring as it was the last time. Stacie sees the audience sigh and settle back in their seats, the lighting conductor check his phone, the judges shaking their heads, and realizes that this is it for them.

It's not that they aren't good. Aubrey and Chloe have done a wonderful job to get the girls to work together, and their voices show that. But the song choices are old. They've been done before, and even if they hadn't, these were possibly the worst songs that could have been chosen.

So when Beca comes in, almost effortlessly singing La Roux, Stacie rejoices and automatically adds backup for her best friend. She can admit that with the improvisation, the audience has woken up a little and the judges look pleased. But when Aubrey throws Beca a glare, Stacie realizes that the addition might have ruined everything.

"What the hell was that?!" Aubrey snaps as they exit the stage. She pushes through the girls, including Stacie as she approaches the shocked brunette.

"Are you serious?" Beca asks. Stacie shifts her eyes between her girlfriend and best friend, suddenly afraid of the outcome.

She's pretty sure, especially with the way Beca's eyes flit to hers before settling back on Aubrey, that she's going to be asked to pick sides. It's early enough in her relationship that it would almost be expected of her to pick Beca's side, but even though she helped back Beca up out there, she also can't see going against Aubrey. Even if they have only been officially together for twenty hours, she can no longer imagine a life devoid of the senior. She doesn't want to.

So she meets Chloe's eyes, and the redhead seems more resigned to the fight that's about to happen than Stacie would have expected.

Stacie wants to sigh at the situation. Of course this has been building all year since Beca and Aubrey never really did see eye-to-eye. But she had hoped that they would be adult enough to not blow up over a group that was supposed to be fun.

"It's not your job to decide what we do and when we do it. Why don't you ask the rest of the group how they felt about your little improvisation," Aubrey bites out.

Stacie averts her eyes, knowing that if she sees Beca's searching gaze she'd come to her best friend's defense. And that's not something she can really afford to do, as much as she might want to.

"Amy?" Beca asks.

Stacie cringes at how small and broken her voice sounds, knowing that if Amy was the first person she asked, then Chloe must have avoided her gaze as well. She begins to feel tears prickle at the back of her eyes. She doesn't want to hurt her best friend who has been there for her through thick and thin.

She briefly falls into memories from her childhood, reliving all the important milestones she achieved with Beca by her side and is drawn back into reality by the pain and wavering of Aubrey's voice as she barks out, "Yeah, a lot by surprise."

She purses her lips, realizing how much Aubrey is actually hurting over the performance. Stacie knows it isn't the end of the world, but she also knows that's it is the end of something Aubrey has been devoting all of her extra time to, and something she so desperately wanted and needed and now it's gone. She hurts for her too, she realizes. And now she feels stuck between the two, wanting the harsh words to stop and for everyone to take a breather.

"I told you she wasn't a Bella."

Beca actually flinches at the words, thrown out with as much reined in malice as Aubrey's capable of, and both Chloe and Stacie finally step in.

"Aubrey, don't –"

"She's as much a Bella as –"

Both, however, are cut off by Beca, who raises her hand to stop their protests with the most infuriated look Stacie has ever seen on her best friend's face.

"There's no need for you two to jump in and save me from drowning now when I'm already under water," she says, her voice cracking at the end. The only hint of how badly Aubrey's words hurt her.

Stacie looks down in shame, feeling worse and worse. She can't see how to calm either one of them without choosing a side or getting accused of choosing a side when all she wants is for everything to stop.

"Your attitude sucks, you're a grade A pain in my ass, and you're no longer a part of the Bellas." Aubrey's tone, now more composed, is steady. There's no longer any hint of what she's feeling other than the anger that still sits on her shoulders.

Beca drops her head, shaking it slowly as she clenches her fists to her side.

"Aubrey you can't do that," Chloe says with a wavering tone. Stacie looks to her and can see tears pooling in her bright blue eyes. She looks so shocked and conflicted and hurt that Stacie wonders what her own face must be giving away; if she's as good at hiding her emotions as she had been in the past, or if she's just as involved in the swirling emotions around them as Chloe is. From how she feels, she hopes it's the first one. She doesn't want to add any more stress to the situation for anyone, and she knows, or hopes at the very least, that by not showing how she truly feels she can stay out of it.

"Listen Chloe," Aubrey starts, rounding on the redhead, "just because Beca's your girlfriend doesn't give her special treatment."

"You see that's where you're wrong," Beca cuts in, her tone carrying a reignited spark of ire. Her gaze is hard and focused. Angry. Enraged even. And she sets her jaw and stands straighter, readying herself for the coup de grace.

Stacie has never seen this look pass over Beca, though she supposes she's never had a reason to. She hopes she never has to again, fully aware that this person standing in front of her really isn't her best friend. She's someone Stacie has never met before. It makes her afraid for Aubrey.

"She's not my girlfriend, she's my soulmate," Beca continues, conviction growing stronger in her tone as she seethes. "Something you would know nothing about as you disowned your own soulmate four years ago."

Gasps echo throughout the group, but Stacie's eyebrows furrow.

"Beca!" Chloe snaps, her voice bordering on incredulous. Her expression is panicked though, as she looks between Beca to Aubrey to Stacie and back.

"No!" Beca shoots Chloe a glare worthy of freezing even Medusa in her tracks. "She's not going to sack up so I might as well help her out. It's what 'friends' do, right?" The emphasis on friends is spat out, and even Stacie takes a step back from Beca's tone. She's never spoken to Chloe like that. Hell, the only person Beca has ever raised her voice at is her father, and he deserved it. Chloe doesn't. At least, Stacie doesn't think that she does.

Chloe clamps her mouth shut, lips quivering downward as she tries to ward off the hurt as Beca turns back to Aubrey.

"Who the fuck even does that? Who can actually tell their soulmate that they never want to see them? To meet them? Who the fuck disowns their soulmate before even getting to know them?" Beca takes a step towards Aubrey, leaning in slightly and lowering her tone of voice, making the next words even more weighted. "Who in their right mind disowns their soulmate on the day of her father's funeral over a drawing by a three year old?"

Aubrey takes a shocked step back, eyes quickly flitting to Stacie before falling to the ground in shame. She doesn't defend herself or talk back to Beca. Instead, she seems to bow under the weight of the words, as if she were Atlas and the words, the truth, her burden to bear for eternity.

Beca, shaking in poorly concealed rage, turns and walks away. She easily hides the tears in her eyes from the rest of the group and makes her way through the halls and quickly out of sight, leaving everything crumbling down in her wake.

Stacie, for her part, is frozen. Beca's words trickle their way slowly into her consciousness, each adding a new stab of pain to the void that was torn open when her soulmate wrote her that hurtful message years ago, until the void is no longer empty, but filled with searing pain and settling in her chest.

She wants to cry, scream, and laugh all at once. It's almost comical, the turn of events this day has taken. She woke up ridiculously happy and in love, cuddling with the person she's never felt closer to, and it ends with that person being the source of the worst pain she's ever felt. She doesn't understand what she did to deserve this, and as she stares at the spot where Beca used to be, she understands her friend's penchant for running.

"Stacie," Aubrey's voice weakly breaks through her spinning thoughts, and she looks up, almost confused as to why the blonde is so blurry. Then she blinks and feels the tears fall, hot and heavy.

The blonde is pale and tears are falling slowly down her face. Her hand shakes as she reaches forward to offer some sort of comfort to the freshman, but she closes her fist and draws back before she can touch her.

Stacie isn't sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

"I'm sorry," Aubrey continues. Stacie isn't sure whether to believe her or not, or even if she cares about the blonde's apology. She's torn between wanting to draw her into a hug and never let go over the realization that Aubrey is her soulmate, and wanting to punch her for what she did.

"I never would have… I shouldn't have… I'm so sorry," Aubrey's almost sobbing now, and Stacie vaguely realizes that most of the other girls have left too, only Chloe remaining, hovering just out of earshot and looking every bit as broken as Stacie feels.

"You knew?" Stacie asks Aubrey. She doesn't realize she's spoken immediately, the shock and numbness finally settling in and allowing her to pull herself slightly together.

"I… yes," Aubrey says. "But I only found –"

"You knew and you didn't tell me?" Aubrey flinches but keeps eye contact with Stacie, only enraging the brunette further.

It's one thing entirely to have a history with their soulmate like they have and not tell them who they are the moment they figured it out. It's another thing entirely to admit that and not even feel guilty.

"I was going to, I swear," Aubrey's voice is broken as she takes a step forward. "I was going to tell you after tonight. I just wanted to get through semi finals."

Stacie catches herself just before her hand makes contact with Aubrey's cheek. She's horrified with herself for almost hitting Aubrey. She's never been so upset that she's ever tried to strike out at anybody. She's usually the peaceful one when compared with Beca, and the tendency towards violence scares her to the point where she wants nothing more than to get away. For both of their sake.

Aubrey doesn't flinch at almost being slapped, but she does lower her eyes from Stacie's for a moment. It almost seems like she accepts her punishment. As if she deserves it. It hurts Stacie to see Aubrey so despondent, like if she's already given up. And as angry and hurt as Stacie is, she knows, albeit very deep down, that she never wants Aubrey to feel like this either. So she does the only thing she feels she can, and leaves.

Stacie just shakes her head and turns on her heel, following in the same direction that Beca headed off in minutes before, quickly grabbing her jacket and purse on her way out, just needing to get away. To clear her head and think clearly, something she knows she can't do around Aubrey.

It doesn't take her long to find her best friend, who is just getting off the phone when she walks up. She's sitting on a bench in a copse of trees, almost hidden in the dark from the main entrance, but with a clear view of the people entering and exiting the building.

"Cab will be here in twenty," Beca says without taking her eyes off the darkness around them.

Stacie nods and stares straight ahead. She understands now, where Beca gets the need to flee when things get tough. She wants nothing more than the silence and solitude that running can give right now. She needs to get away from Aubrey and the confusion and pain that surrounds Stacie as she thinks about her. She wants to regain that feeling of home, and rid herself of the uncomfortable presence of her memories.

She needs to be able to sort her feelings out in her sanctuary. A sanctuary that is twenty five hundred miles away.

She fumbles in her purse for her phone, before pulling it out with shaking hands and carefully dials the familiar number.

It doesn't take long, only two or three rings before the phone is answered. " _Hello?_ "

"Mom?"

" _Stacie? Baby what's wrong?_ " Hearing the care in her mother's tone breaks the dam holding back all of Stacie's emotions and she lets out a heavy sob.

"I need to come home."


	14. Chapter 14

Aubrey watches, frozen and silent, as Stacie makes her way from the room. She wants, _needs_ , to follow her, but the weight in her chest manifests itself into a crippling sense of exhaustion, and she just can't move.

She doesn't know how long she stands there staring as her soulmate runs away from her. It makes sense, in some sick roundabout kind of way. After all, it's only fitting that Stacie be the one to leave her this time, as she was the one who left first. It's only fair.

Except it's not, she realizes. It isn't fair that Stacie is the one pushing her away. She wanted to tell her in the morning, she almost did. She should've just told her the moment she found out. It's not as if Stacie didn't know Aubrey needed to talk to her. She didn't hide that.

For once, Aubrey isn't sure of what she's supposed to do. She can go and find Stacie now, try to make her listen, but she is almost positive that if she does that it'll only drive the brunette further away from her. And that's not what she wants. She wants Stacie; even if she has to work for it, she wants her.

She just hadn't realized it before.

Aubrey struggles to breathe. The weight that consumed her chest finally settling lower in her stomach, leaving her feeling empty and alone. With the first inhaled sob, all the pain that the weight had been blocking comes crashing into her, forcing her to drop to her knees to alleviate some of the ache that washes over her.

She can't even help her reaction, despite being in a public place. She's sure she must be drawing the eyes of everyone in the area, and though her normally composed self would cringe at the unwanted attention, she can't focus on anything but the loneliness she feels. She's not ever sure she'll feel whole again.

She's not alone, though, because as soon as she started to crumble, Chloe is there to hold her up. And now, as she's bowed on the floor crying, Chloe is there to hold her. She offers some sort of support, even if they both know it's not the support each other needs. Aubrey loves Chloe for it, knowing full well that her actions have driven a wedge between her best friend and Beca, and still the redhead is there for her.

It's comforting, and familiar, and it should be enough, Aubrey thinks. But it isn't.

Still though, she leans into Chloe, taking in the familiar warmth and smell of her best friend as she wraps her arms around her. She can feel Chloe shudder with repressed sobs and holds her tighter. The act of comforting her friend is enough for Aubrey to pull herself together, albeit weakly. She still feels like she could unravel at any moment, but dutifully holds Chloe to her, offering as much support as she can.

Chloe takes a little longer to pull herself together. She isn't someone to hold her emotions back, instead allowing herself to feel with full force. Aubrey admires that about her, and almost wishes she could purge her feelings like Chloe and get on with living. Realistically she knows that Chloe will still be in pain even after she finishes crying, but the absence of the weight of the world will allow the redhead to heal faster than Aubrey knows she will. But she can't help it. She internalizes her suffering, and instead lets the anguish fester until she shatters.

Pulling away, Chloe's hiccups finally softening, she places a soft hand on Chloe's cheek, supporting the flushed redhead. Bright blue eyes meet her, puffy and reddened from crying, and Aubrey can almost feel what is left of her heart breaking all over again. She made Chloe feel like this. She forced her friend into a tough position and it put her in as much pain as she is in. She ruins every soulmate relationship around her.

Seeing Chloe a little more composed, Aubrey stands, offering her hand to pull Chloe up.

"Can you go back with the girls?" Aubrey asks. Her voice, though still thick and rough with tears shed and unshed, is steady. She knows she can't allow Chloe to know how much she wants to be away from her. She loves Chloe, but she can't ruin any more of her relationship than she already has.

"What?" Chloe's voice is the opposite of Aubrey's. It's weak and wavering, and Aubrey is sure that it will only take a nudge to send Chloe back into full blown sobbing again. "Where are you going?"

Aubrey wants to say she's going after Stacie. She wants to say she's going to get Beca back for Chloe. She wants to do these things, even though she knows she can't. Logistically speaking, Aubrey doesn't know where Stacie and Beca have run off to, though she's sure they're together. She isn't entirely sure how much time has passed since Stacie stormed away, but she doubts she could catch up, even if she should. She is not going to pressure Stacie into talking with her when she knows they both need the space to cool off. She still has her connection with Stacie, and she knows full well that later she will put that connection to use. But for now, Aubrey knows that she just needs to decompress and analyze everything that's happened.

Even if it means being alone with her thoughts.

"I need to go get the bus," Aubrey tells Chloe, glad that she has a legitimate excuse to be alone. She knows she could bring Chloe with her, after all, misery loves company, but she also knows that Chloe herself needs time to think. That, and Aubrey knows the girls will make Chloe feel better and loved without the presence of the person responsible for the way the redhead is feeling.

Chloe nods and doesn't fight her logic. After one last quick hug and Aubrey promising to be back at their shared apartment the next day, they part ways.

It doesn't take long for a cab to come get Aubrey and bring her to the refueled bus. She thanks the driver and pays him, ignoring his worried looks as she boards the bus and straps in.

It will take about four hours to get back to campus, but Aubrey knows even with the driving time, she won't be ready to return so soon. Instead, she drives two and a half hours east of Barden, stopping only when she sees the familiar lake.

It's a place Aubrey has visited many times over her years at Barden. She found it first after a particularly bad test freshman year when she needed a place to breathe. The presence and academia of Barden's campus seeming too stifling for her, she got in her car and drove, intending to get herself good and lost. Instead, she ended up finding an old abandoned camp ground surrounding a clear, calm lake. The land was quiet and surrounded by nature, and Aubrey never felt more at peace.

Throughout the years, she'd come visit the campground whenever she needed a breather and a place to regroup. She never intends to stay as long as she does, often driving Chloe mad with worry, but she always comes back calmer and happier than she had been in a long while. And Chloe, seeing that, couldn't fault her logic.

It only makes sense that this is the place she would go. Nobody else knows about this area, and its unaffiliated state with anything that has to do with Barden allows Aubrey to clear her mind and just simply be.

Like most visits to the lake time seems to lose meaning; too soon the sun is rising, casting soft pinks and yellows on the lake and surrounding forests. Aubrey though tired, slowly comes back to herself, feeling a little bit more at ease than she had been in a long while.

The time alone and the quiet of the woods allow Aubrey to think through her situation. She knows she can't just force Stacie to listen to her, and she's sure Stacie isn't going to answer her calls or even look at her texts, though she tries that as soon as she's back on the bus. But she knows, now fairly confidently, that she will get Stacie back. She isn't going to allow her soulmate to push her away the same way she did when she was sixteen.

Instead she grabs a pen from her bag and pushes the sleeves of her cardigan up, flexing her muscles to give her a firmer writing surface.

 _Stacie please, let me explain._

She knows at the very least that this is one sure way to make sure that Stacie sees what she's trying to say. She's not going to force and explanation, especially not if Stacie doesn't want to hear it, but this will show Stacie that she's trying to make a difference. She isn't going to let this be the same thing that happened four years ago.

She's surprised how quickly Stacie writes back. She hasn't even gotten to the end of the long drive of the camp ground before her arm starts its light tingling.

 _I don't want to talk to you right now_ , is all that's written back. And though Aubrey isn't surprised at the message itself, she's almost elated that Stacie isn't shutting her out completely.

Aubrey concedes, writing only a short _ok_ before continuing back to campus.

She plots, as much as she is able, while driving back to Barden. She knows she isn't going to let Stacie push her away. She isn't going to give up without giving her all. She thinks through all of her knowledge of Stacie, and plans on using her favorite things to show Stacie that she does care. That she's been listening.

But as she arrives back at Barden after dropping the bus off and picking up her car, a wave of exhaustion hits her and she realizes any plans will have to wait.

She walks into her apartment quietly hoping not to wake up Chloe. She has enough running through her mind doesn't need Chloe's problems to carry too. Though she will readily admit that her own soulmate problems and actions caused Chloe's, she already feels guilty enough over it. She's barely hanging on herself and she doesn't need Chloe looking like a kicked puppy to send her over the edge. Her exhaustion is doing that enough for her.

Luck hasn't been on her side lately though, as she enters the living room and sees Chloe curled up on the couch staring blankly at the wall.

She sighs and makes her way over to the redhead, taking in the dried tear tracks and shiny eyes.

"Chlo," she says, voice soft as she crouches in front of the redhead. It takes a minute before Chloe's eyes focus on hers, and she speaks again. "Have you slept?"

When Chloe shakes her head, Aubrey stands up and pulls Chloe up with her, leading her to her room. She sets Chloe at the edge of her bed and runs to the redhead's room to grab her a pair of pajamas.

When she comes back in, Chloe hasn't moved from where she left her, but new tears trickle slowly down her cheeks.

"Oh Chloe." She puts the pajamas next to her best friend and draws her into a hug, letting her cry.

"She hasn't responded to anything," she sobs out, clutching Aubrey like she is the only thing holding her up.

"She just needs time," Aubrey mumbles, rubbing Chloe's back. "They just need time."

But after three days of silence for each of them, Aubrey's at the end of her patience. Chloe, though no longer crying, is miserable. Her constant crying and general mopiness is not helping Aubrey from doing anything rash.

So when she gets a call from the ICCA director informing her that the Bellas have made it to Nationals, she does the only thing she can think to do and goes to knock down Beca's door.

She starts to rethink her decision, though, when after five minutes on continuous loud knocking there is still no answer. She steps back and takes a deep breath, her mind catching up with her actions.

She realizes that with her going to Beca's room, there's a significant chance of seeing Stacie. She promised to give her space, but now that she's here, she worries that if Stacie is the one to answer the door or see her first, it would make Stacie think Aubrey is pressuring her to talk. Which is what Aubrey doesn't want to do no matter how much she wants to see Stacie.

She's not freaking out for long though, as Beca swings the door open, her angry expression almost hiding the red eyes. She looks just as bad as Chloe, and Aubrey realizes this separation is hurting her just as much.

She doesn't give Beca a chance to close the door on her and pushes her way past her. The room, she sees as she walks in, is messier than normal on Beca's side, though still neat and organized on Stacie's.

Aubrey eyes the cans of Redbull and empty bags of junk food littering the floor before lightly taking a seat at the edge of Stacie's bed. She waits for Beca to settle herself back in her own bed, glaring at her the entire time, before speaking.

"I'm sorry for what I said at semis." Beca stares at her, expression unchanging and Aubrey, nervously now, continues. "It was out of line, inappropriate, and I didn't mean any of it."

Beca nods once, but still remains silent. Fumbling now, Aubrey knew it was going to be hard, she just didn't realize how hard, she continues.

"Chloe misses you, and judging by the way you and your room look, you miss her too."

Beca grits her teeth, and looks out her window for a moment before turning back to Aubrey. Her hands grip her sheets tightly, as if grounding her and offering the stability she needs.

"Why are you here, Aubrey?" Her voice is thick and rough, much like Chloe's, and Aubrey's guilt increases. She's not sure if it's due to the separation of Chloe, the loss of the Bellas, or both. Aubrey isn't going to ask. It's not her business.

Aubrey sighs and straightens herself. She hates herself for what she did to the Bellas and her friends, and she knows that this is the only way to fix it. Especially since her apology, as sincere as she can make it, was so coldly received.

"The Bellas have made it to Nationals." Beca raises an eyebrow at this. "Apparently one of the Footnotes was still in high school and they were disqualified."

"That's good. I'm happy for you." Beca's voice is flat and she gets up and sits back at her desk, fiddling with her mixing board. "If that's all you have to say, you can go now. I'm busy."

"Beca," Aubrey's voice is sharp and she stands up and crosses the room, turning Beca toward her. "Stop being a shit and listen."

Beca raises an eyebrow and gestures for Aubrey to continue before folding her arms across her chest.

"You had no right to tell Stacie. I was going to tell her after we got home, and I would have accepted any reaction she had. You took that away from us. You didn't let me tell her in a way that would have given her time to absorb it properly, and that was a shitty thing to do."

Beca looks at her angrily, opening her mouth to interrupt Aubrey. Aubrey holds up a hand, cutting her off and Beca closes her mouth, gritting her teeth.

"I'm sorry I singled you out. I understand why you're mad and I'm not invalidating that. I'm sorry for saying what I did and making it impossible for your friends to defend you. I'm sorry that everything happened the way it did. And most of all, I'm sorry I kicked you out of the Bellas. It was not my place and it should be up to the group, not a single member. I'm sorry I've bullied you this entire year. Do you understand?" Beca reluctantly nods and Aubrey takes the opportunity to straighten up.

"I'd like to formally invite you back to the Bellas. I was completely wrong about you, and I should have been more open to change. I can't stop you from being a Bella any more than I can stop being a Bella myself. It's for life. I'd like you to choose an arrangement for Nationals, if you're willing, and I would like you to take the lead." She pauses in her speech to reach into her back pocket and pulls out the Bellas' pitch pipe, holding it out for Beca to take. "Are you willing?"

Beca tentatively leans forward and takes it, studying it in her hand before grasping it tightly. "I'd be happy to," she says. Her voice is lighter now, though still slightly rough. It makes Aubrey feel a little bit better, but she knows she still has things to fix and she's not even halfway done.

"Good," Aubrey nods and lets Beca have her moment. She studies the room again, really taking in the absence of her soulmate. She turns back to Beca, who, though much happier than she was when Aubrey first arrived, still looks beaten down and sad.

"Now on to the second matter of business." Beca looks up, eyes wide at Aubrey's firm tone. She isn't going to give Beca another reason to run, so she makes sure to keep her voice firm but still caring. "You need to go to Chloe."

"She doesn't want to see me," Beca's voice is thick again and she looks down. "I yelled at her."

"Are you kidding me? Beca that girl fucking loves you. She's been just as big of an emotional mess as you have. Though," Aubrey says scrunching her nose in distaste as she pointedly looks around the dorm room at the mess, "she isn't as messy physically."

Beca just shrugs.

"Beca look at me," Aubrey orders. It takes a few seconds, but eventually Beca meets Aubrey's eyes and Aubrey can see the unshed tears pooling in her eyes. She squats down, much like she did with Chloe days ago and takes Beca's hands, offering her the most support she knows how. "Chloe loves you. One little fight isn't going to change that. She's in just as much pain as you are. It's obvious that you both need each other, so get over yourself and just go to her."

Beca nods and stands up. "Yeah. I should... I should do that. I'm going to do that." She makes her way to the door and opens it readying herself to leave when Aubrey stops her.

"One more thing."

Beca turns to her, seeming to vibrate with nervous energy, her eyebrows raised.

"Where's Stacie?" Aubrey gestures to the empty bed and looks pleadingly at Beca. "I need to apologize to her too."

"You're going to have to wait then," Beca says, turning back towards Aubrey and leaning against the door.

"I don't think it can wait," Aubrey responds. She's nervous now. She knows she should still be giving Stacie her space, but also knows that she can't wait any longer. It's been three days, and each day the pain and weight of Stacie's absence makes itself more known and Aubrey doesn't think she can hold off any longer. No matter how nervous the potential of seeing Stacie makes her.

"Well it's going to have to, she's in Portland."

Aubrey's quiet for a moment, weighing her options. It's an easy decision really. She knows she owes Stacie an apology and so much more. She knows that the longer she waits, the worse it's going to be for both of them, especially if Stacie doesn't accept her apology. It's really the only choice Aubrey has.

"Hey Aubrey?" Beca says when Aubrey has been quiet too long. She looks back at the shorter brunette in response, waiting for her to continue. "Take your own advice."

"Do you have an address?"

For the first time since she showed up, Beca smiles at her.

* * *

The rest of the day is hectic to say the least. After a quick trip back to her apartment, Aubrey rushes to the airport for the first flight to Oregon.

The flight itself is fine, though it seems to drag for Aubrey. She tries to come up with a speech for Stacie, but every time she thinks she's getting somewhere, she's hit with a wave of nerves and everything is lost. Not that she's sure she'd get far anyway, since the last time she saw Stacie she would barely let her talk.

Aubrey can only hope that the four days since she's seen her, and the four days Stacie has spent at home, has been enough for Stacie to breathe. And perhaps if that is the case, and god does Aubrey hope that's the case, Stacie will be more willing to hear her out. Let her explain. Let Aubrey in again.

It's a hope that Aubrey can make happen if Stacie allows it. And even if this impromptu trip turns out to be nothing more than an expensive waste of time, at least Aubrey will get to explain herself. That's got to count for something.

The trip itself to Stacie's house is straight forward. Beca's sound advice of "just get an Uber" coming in handy, as the driver seems to know the neighborhood like the back of his hand.

It's a nice area, Aubrey can admit. It's not as glamorous or high class as the suburb she grew up in, but it's homey. Comfortable. And she knows that if she ever does come back that she'll always feel more comfortable here than her own neighborhood back home.

When the driver pulls up to her house, buried in the twisty lanes and situated on the edge of a small forest, Aubrey can see why Stacie wanted to come back so much.

The house is smaller than her own parents' house, but well kept and obviously well loved. There is a small porch, not enough to really be a place for people to congregate, but enough for two people to sit comfortably on the brick. The entryway behind it is brightly lit by the porch light, causing the many potted plants surrounding it to give off long shadows onto the small yard.

As Aubrey thanks her driver and get out, she can see through the front windows a younger version of Stacie dancing around the living room. She smiles, wondering if Stacie was the same way when she was a kid.

She watches for a moment when she sees Stacie join her sister, twirling her around and laughing. And all of a sudden she feels guilty. Stacie obviously came here to get away. Decompress, relax, and think. Aubrey's presence will just complicate things and take Stacie's smile away.

Aubrey sighs and turns away, almost regretting coming out. At the very least, she can say she got to see the sun set over the Pacific Ocean, so she has that going for her.

She's just dialed 411 to call a cab when she sees a line of light fall over the yard in front of her and hears a door shut.

"Aubrey?"

Aubrey sucks in a sharp breath and hangs up her phone. She turns around slowly, as if Stacie is a wild animal prone to flight when startled.

"Stace," Aubrey greets her. It's soft and almost broken sounding, like Aubrey's choking on the word, but she knows Stacie heard her by the soft smile and the steps forward, bringing herself closer to Aubrey.

"What are you doing here?" It's not asked unkindly, surprising Aubrey. It might be the setting, more in Stacie's comfort zone, than Aubrey's. She looks pleasantly surprised, even. Definitely not the heartbroken, enraged Stacie that Aubrey was expecting to see.

"I, um," Aubrey clears her throat, trying to find her words and stave off the surprise that wants to color her tone. "I need to apologize."

Stacie nods, but holds up a hand to stop Aubrey from saying any more. "Do you want to come in?"

"What?" Aubrey doesn't mean to sound so shocked, but this was the last thing she expected. It's not like she was expecting Stacie to yell at her and berate her, or well not entirely, but she was only prepared to say her piece, beg Stacie to come back, and return to Georgia.

Stacie smiles though, coming closer so that she's standing a respectable distance from Aubrey. "I'm supposed to be watching my sister while my mom treats herself to a night out. We're about to have dinner." She pauses, gauging Aubrey's reaction before continuing. "Would you like to join us?"

Aubrey returns her smile and nods happily. "I would love to."

Whatever they need to talk about can wait. She isn't going anywhere.


	15. Chapter 15

_Sometimes writing is very hard and extremely exhausting. Thank you for your patience._

* * *

It takes her a surprisingly short amount of time to recover from semi-finals. She's still mad, of _course_ she's still mad, and plenty hurt, but she's been through this before. She knows how to cope. That's not to say the entire situation doesn't offer up new pain, because it does, but this time Stacie's better equipped to handle it.

What's worse is that even though she told Aubrey she needed time, Aubrey hasn't tried contacting her again. Which, okay, now that she thinks about it, is sort of great in the way that she understands Aubrey respects her need for space, but Stacie figures that actually knowing her soulmate this time around would make Aubrey more eager to repair the rift between them. So the hurt she's feeling is coupled with the underlying feeling that Aubrey doesn't care enough to try to fix things.

It's ridiculous, she knows. But she can't not go down that line of thought.

Andie's been a great help in distracting her though. She hasn't realized how much she's missed her sister. From the moment she walked in the door, the younger brunette has practically been glued to her side, telling her this and that, talking about her own soulmate – who Stacie learns is named Raj and lives in New Zealand; it's a great distraction and Stacie embraces it.

But when she sees the familiar blonde figure on her front lawn, everything Stacie had been feeling, the pain, the hurt, the desperation, rushes forth before being overwhelmed by a strong sense of home and comfort and _relief_.

Aubrey respected her need to process, but her presence here, _now_ , shows that she couldn't stay away any more than Stacie wanted her to.

She doesn't think she's ever been so in love.

She tells her sister, still slightly breathless at their impromptu dance party, that she'll be right back and slowly, almost reverently, walks to the front door; as if opening it will chase away the blonde outside and prove that this is just a dream. But she's still there when she opens it, and Stacie can see the slightly tense set to her shoulders that she doesn't think was there before.

"Aubrey?" It's a greeting. A prayer. A question.

She turns slowly after hanging up her phone, and again, the relief that washes over Stacie is almost staggering. She wants to run up to her and gather her into the tightest hug she's ever given. She doesn't want to let her go; especially not after she's finally here for Stacie. Instead, she walks up slowly, smiling when Aubrey's voice cracks on her own name.

"What are you doing here?"

"I um… I need to apologize," Aubrey says. She looks down for a second after she says it, and Stacie feels guilt swirl in her chest. Aubrey's never been skittish around her. Not really. Stacie can't even blame her for not making eye contact through her nerves. After all, she was the person who almost let her anger get the better of her and hit Aubrey – something she's still horrified she almost did.

Stacie's shocked, yet pleased silence, must last too long when Aubrey opens her mouth to continue. Stacie holds up her hand to stop her, not wanting to hear any more apologies right now when she's just as responsible for the predicament they're in. She knows they both need to sit down and really talk, but Stacie's got other things to worry about. Namely her sister and the worry that their dinner is going to burn.

"Do you want to come in?" She's hopeful that Aubrey will say yes. Stacie has no intention of letting Aubrey walk away again, and if this thing is going to work between them, they at least need to be able to talk about their problems. She also can't turn Aubrey away after making such a long trip just to see her. It's the kind of dedication and perseverance that Stacie's always wanted to see from her. From her soul mate.

"What?"

Aubrey seems so flabbergasted and shocked by Stacie's invitation that Stacie can't help but smile at her. She steps closer, wanting to pull Aubrey into a hug, but hesitates before she can. Their relationship is on shaky ground and Stacie is unsure if Aubrey would welcome her hug. She stops instead, hoping Aubrey didn't see the hesitation, and shrugs answering her question.

"I'm supposed to be watching my sister while my mom treats herself to a night out. We're about to have dinner." She pauses, wondering if she's accidentally forcing Aubrey into a family meeting that she isn't ready for. "Would you like to join us?"

Her fear is short-lived though, as Aubrey almost immediately returns Stacie's smile, though this one is far from hesitant. It's the kind of smile that can change the world. The kind that rallies people to follow her to the ends of the earth. And Stacie isn't sure she's ever seen anything so beautiful.

"I'd love to," Aubrey says. There's a moment of stillness, where nothing in the world creeps in to distract their gaze from the other. It doesn't last long at all, though not because either one of them looks away.

Stacie doesn't know who moves first, and it doesn't matter to her in the slightest. One moment they're smiling at each other, and the next they're meeting in the most passionate kiss Stacie thinks she has ever experienced.

It's short, as it must be, but in that moment where their lips meet and move together she knows that this, that Aubrey, is it for her. That nothing in the world will ever feel as right, as much like home as Aubrey, and Stacie vows to herself that she isn't going to let it go again.

They break apart when the door to Stacie's house opens, followed by Andie's light voice calling out. "Stace, the oven keeps beeping!"

Stacie turns, entwining her and Aubrey's hands without thinking and gently pulls the blonde along behind her as they make their way back inside. "Thanks Andie," she says to her sister, lightly patting her head as they make their way through the door.

Stacie lets go of Aubrey's hand when they reach the kitchen, but she can feel Aubrey's presence, as if it has a tangible quality, somewhere near the door while she pulls out the chicken she had set to bake. After checking the internal temperature, she places it on the stove and gets to work finishing up the side dishes.

She's so happily distracted that she barely catches her little sister quietly asking Aubrey who she is. She glances over her shoulder at the blonde, smiling at her nervous expression and panicked eyes as they dart from Stacie to Andie, not knowing how to answer exactly.

"That's my girlfriend Aubrey," Stacie speaks up, draining the water and seasoning the steamed vegetables. She doesn't want to be presumptuous, after all, she and Aubrey were really only together for something like twenty hours before everything blew up, but she also wants to reassure Aubrey that she's here and just as willing to be here as she is. Even if she wasn't the one to travel across the country.

"Oh," Andie's exclamation is light, causing Stacie to turn around. She wants to laugh at the wonder on her face, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape as she stares up at the blonde.

Aubrey for her reaction, looks slightly uncomfortable with Andie's attention, a light blush brushing over her cheeks. She glances up and catches Stacie's gaze and tilts her head, as if asking for some kind of distraction for the young girl.

"You okay there, And?" She asks, plating the food for the three of them.

"Are girls allowed to have girlfriends?" The seven-year-old asks, taking her place at the dining room table.

"Well sure," Aubrey answers, grabbing hers and Stacie's plates off the counter and following Stacie into the dining room. "Why wouldn't they be?"

Andie pauses in consideration, mouth quirking cutely as she thinks. Stacie and Aubrey sit at the table across from her and begin eating. Eventually Andie shrugs and picks up her fork to eat.

"I dunno. I just never see them together."

Stacie and Aubrey exchange a look. Aubrey's expression is unreadable, but there's something in her eyes that resonates with Stacie, and Stacie grabs her hand from where it is resting on her lap and gives it a squeeze.

"I'm sure you do," Stacie answers her sister. "You can't pick who your soulmate is."

With this new information, Andie's eyes go wide and she looks happily between Stacie and Aubrey.

"Really? You guys are soulmates?" Andie's eyes light up and she sits up straighter with the new information.

Aubrey smiles, amused and seemingly just as excited as the seven-year-old. At the same time, Stacie frowns and lets a quiet sigh escape her, knowing exactly the avalanche of questions coming her and Aubrey's way.

The rest of dinner seems to take forever, mostly because of Andie's questions. Stacie isn't complaining, of course. She loves watching her girlfriend and sister interact. She loves seeing Aubrey respond to Andie's inquiries with humor and patience, taking each question in stride and giving her the answers she seeks in a way that the seven-year-old can understand.

The questions end eventually when Andie is yawning more than she is talking, and Stacie stands from her seat on the couch, where they had moved after dinner had been cleared.

"Okay Andie, it's time for bed, let's go." She tried to shoo her sister up, but she resists.

"But I'm not done!" She says with a pout. She widens her eyes and gives her best imitation of a puppy. It has no effect on Stacie, however, long since used to both Andie and Chloe turning that look on her.

"Nope, let's go," she gestures to the staircase that leads to the upstairs bedrooms.

"Stacieee," Andie whines, trying to flatten herself to the rug, as if going boneless would stop Stacie pressuring her to go to bed.

"Andromeda you are going to bed now, and this is the last I want to hear of it. Now go!" Stacie's tone is firm and doesn't allow for any arguments. With the use of her full name, Andie quickly gets up, mumbling out a discontent good night to Aubrey, and makes her way up the stairs to brush her teeth and get ready for bed.

"She's lovely," Aubrey says, a wide smile on her face. Stacie chuckles and plops back down on the couch next to her, a little closer than she had been sitting when Andie had been in the room.

"She's something all right," she answers, putting an arm around Aubrey's shoulder and pulling her closer.

She revels in the warmth for a moment, listening carefully to the faucet turning on and off upstairs as Andie brushes her teeth.

"You flew out to see me," Stacie muses after they hear Andie's door to her room close.

Aubrey turns in Stacie's embrace, settling so that she can see Stacie more clearly while still keeping contact with her. "I did…" Aubrey seems hesitant, but continues. "I'm so sorry Stacie, I never should've-"

Stacie cuts off her apology with a kiss; just a quick press of their lips before she pulls back.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," she tells Aubrey. The blonde tries to look away, and Stacie brings her hands up to her face, not allowing Aubrey to distance herself from the conversation and what Stacie knows she needs to say. "You," Stacie begins again, adding emphasis on each word as she makes sure Aubrey is listening, "have _nothing_ to be sorry for."

Aubrey opens her mouth, brows set in a worried line, but Stacie doesn't allow her to say anything, not wanting to hear her argument. "We both messed up. I should have stayed and listened to you. I shouldn't have run, and I should have just talked to you about what I was feeling."

Aubrey's silent for a moment, her eyes glassy and so full of love that Stacie feels like she can't catch her breath.

"So, if we aren't allowed to apologize any more…" Aubrey trails off and Stacie raises an eyebrow, prompting her to continue. "Would you please come back to the Bellas?"

Stacie chuckles. "I never quit the Bellas. I just needed time."

"So is that a yes?"

"Is there a point in coming back? I mean, I figured next year with the new season there'd be things to do, but I didn't think anything would be happening for the rest of the year."

Aubrey scoffs and shakes her head in faux disappointment. "And I thought you understood the commitment the Bellas took." She slowly pulls away from Stacie but doesn't get far as arms wrap around her and bring her back.

Stacie pretends to scoff, having trouble holding her laugh back.

"Like you could leave me. You love me too much." As soon as the words are out of her mouth, she wants to take them back. It isn't that she doesn't think Aubrey loves her – she's sure that she does in her own way – but she doesn't want to put words in Aubrey's mouth before she's ready to say them. She blushes and wants to look away, but Aubrey is there, fingers gently tracing her cheek and a serene smile on her face.

"Yeah," Aubrey says after what Stacie feels like is too long. "I really do."

Her voice is soft but so so sure, and Stacie feels like she's been sucker punched with feelings. She can almost physically feel the warmth and peace fill up her chest as an overall relaxation fills her being. She relaxes into Aubrey's embrace, not fighting the brilliant smile taking over her features at Aubrey's conviction.

She doesn't think twice when she leans forward and connects their lips, no longer able to keep herself distanced from her soul mate.

It's more heated and passionate than their other kiss, and Stacie's mind all but blanks as their lips move together and hands start wandering. All of her worries, her sister upstairs, school, the Bellas, Beca and Chloe, melt away as she allows herself to enjoy the embrace. It's different than any other she's encountered; much more fulfilling than anything that came before. And she's finally sure that everything they've been through has been worth it. If nothing else, being _here_ with Aubrey, in this very moment, is worth all the pain she's been through, because she knows that Aubrey will never let anything like that happen again. After all, if they've fought this hard to start their relationship, she's sure neither of them will let it fall apart.

They're interrupted some time later when the door leading into the garage slams, startling them both.

"Stacie, seriously?" Stacie looks to the kitchen doorway, cheeks flushed, hair mussed, and lips swollen. Her mother, looking tired and only slightly exasperated, stands with her hands on her hips and a faint smirk to her mouth. "Your sister is upstairs, hopefully sleeping, and you're down here 'getting it on' on the couch? I raised you better than this."

Stacie blushes deeply and looks down, mumbling an apology. She knows her mom isn't really serious, and they both know Andie sleeps like the dead anyway, but this isn't exactly how she wanted her mom to meet Aubrey. Not that she's thought about it a lot, mind you, but she knows how much Aubrey likes to make good first impressions and she's pretty sure this isn't the kind of impression she wants to give Stacie's mother on their first meeting. No matter how good it is for Stacie.

She feels Aubrey pinch her ribs lightly, bringing her attention back to her. She raises an eyebrow and looks briefly at Stacie's mother before flicking her eyes back to Stacie, asking for some sort of introduction.

"Oh!" Stacie exclaims, too loud for the previous quiet of the house. She quickly scrambles up, pulling Aubrey up with her and walks over to her mother. "Mom," she starts, a smile making its way across her face, "this is Aubrey. Aubrey this is my mom."

Their introductions are polite, Stacie's mother seeming more reserved than Aubrey. This isn't the first time she's caught Stacie hooking up with someone on the couch, but at least this time Stacie can confirm that Aubrey is the only person she'll be hooking up with in the future.

"It's lovely to meet you, Aubrey. How do you know Stacie?"

Aubrey's eyebrows scrunch for a fraction of a second before turning to Stacie with a look that says, 'do you want to tell her?'

Stacie responds by pulling Aubrey closer, letting her hand settle on her hip and holding her as close as is appropriate in front of her mother.

"She's my soul mate," Stacie says proudly, turning and gazing lovingly at Aubrey before looking back to her mother to gauge her reaction.

There's a beat of shocked silence where Stacie's mother stares at them, eyebrows raised slightly and mouth hanging just the smallest bit open before she all but squeals and pulls both of them into an excited hug.

"This is so exciting! Oh my gosh, my baby's growing up," her mother pulls Stacie closer by her cheeks, squeezing them a little bit before turning back to Aubrey and pulling her into another hug that rivals the enthusiasm of Chloe's. "I should make something! Are you hungry Aubrey? Do you like crepes? I make the best crepes. We'll have crepes."

She starts to move back into the kitchen, barely remembering to let Aubrey, who is smiling like she won the lottery, go.

"Mom," Stacie tries to get her attention as her mother starts pulling out the ingredients and setting up. "Mom," she tries again, as her mother starts pulling fruit out of the refrigerator.

She gives up as her mother buzzes around the kitchen humming happily.

"Uh Mrs. Conrad?" Aubrey asks, louder than Stacie dared speak up but still impeccably polite.

"Oh dear, call me Amanda." Her mother says, smiling adoringly at Aubrey.

"Mom, it's eleven-thirty at night. Nobody wants crepes. We want to go to sleep."

Amanda's eyes widen as she turns to confirm the time. She puts her hand hand on her chest, honestly shocked at the late hour. She recovers quickly, of course and starts to move to put the perishables back in the refrigerator.

"Of course, of course. We'll have crepes for breakfast. You two go get settled. Aubrey if you need anything don't hesitate to let me know." She walks back over to them and places her hands on Aubrey's cheeks, smiling widely, before turning to Stacie and pulling her into a hug.

As they lay down entwined in Stacie's bed some time later, Aubrey can't help but laugh. "I think your mother loves me more than my own." It's a sad notion, but Aubrey sounds overjoyed.

"It's really hard not to love you," Stacie says. Her eyes are closed, but she can feel Aubrey's smile as she pulls her closer.

She relaxes into Aubrey's hold and lets her mind wander back through the events of the day.

"Wait, what was that about the Bellas?" Stacie asks a few minutes later. For a moment, she thinks Aubrey's already fallen asleep, but when the blonde groans and shifts her head so it's buried further into Stacie's neck, she feels kind of guilty for brining her away from the edge of sleep.

"It can wait until morning," Aubrey mumbles.

It's something that Stacie never thought she'd hear Aubrey say. She can only admit to herself that Aubrey's reluctance to put her before the Bellas was part of the reason she was so upset to begin with. It isn't that Aubrey kept the soul mate information to herself, though that was part of it, but more that Aubrey didn't want to ruin the Bellas' chances of making it to finals by telling Stacie beforehand. And while Stacie couldn't have predicted her reaction if she had been told as soon as Aubrey found out, the fact that Aubrey kept it from her to put the Bellas first made her feel unimportant. So this little notion of Aubrey enjoying where she, where _they,_ are and putting her first makes her realize that Aubrey's serious about them.

Stacie turns over and smiles, nestling herself closer to Aubrey, her head resting just below her shoulder.

"'Kay," she sighs, and allows herself to slip into sleep. She's never been more comfortable in her own bed. She feels complete and safe and warm with Aubrey next to her. And she knows, vows to herself, that she will never let this go.


	16. Chapter 16

_And this is it, folks! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed this story! You're all awesome and I appreciate every single one of you for taking the time out of your busy lives to read this.  
_ _The Bechloe spin off is still coming, but it's very much in the development stages at the moment, and the next couple of months are going to be ridiculously busy for me. So I'm not quite sure when that's going to happen, only that it will. Until then, for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, enjoy the rest of your summer! For you guys in the Southern Hemisphere, enjoy your coriolis effect and your nasty bugs! (I'm talking to you, Australia.)_

* * *

The rest of the year seems to fly by Aubrey. After a rousing success at Nationals, all of the Bellas returned back to Barden just in time to be swamped with finals and end of the semester projects, and before she knew it, graduation was upon her.

It's something she's worked for her entire scholastic career – get good grades, get into her first choice university, graduate from said university with honors, get a job, find the love of her life and live happily ever after. Aubrey couldn't be happier with where she was in life. She's surrounded by people she loves and respect who love her just as much back.

It's the almost perfect ending to her collegiate career. And Aubrey should be happy. She is, really. But at the same time she's surrounded in love, she can't help the slight feeling of almost loneliness that seems to invade her thoughts during the quiet moments.

She understands, of course, that Stacie can't be with her all the time. She expects it, even. After all, Stacie has her own life to experience and grow from, and Aubrey knows she can't take that away from her. She doesn't want to. She needs Stacie to grow into the person she's meant to be, otherwise neither one of them will be happy in the long run.

It doesn't stop her from feeling a little left out of Stacie's life, however irrational she knows that is. She can readily admit that she's going to miss Stacie. That being said, she hasn't exactly shared the specifics her post-graduation plans with her, afraid mostly of Stacie's reaction. Corporate lobbyists don't rank highly on her list of decent human beings.

She doesn't exactly believe that Stacie will be mad at her for taking this job, and it being so far away to boot. Sure they won't be in a reasonable driving distance from the other anymore, but there's always school breaks and weekends. And, Aubrey surmises, taking a corporate job in D.C. should give her enough money to be able to support herself and Stacie through the future. She's sure it will all work out in the end. And if Stacie truly has a problem with her job, once she actually tells her what it is, she figures she can stay with it until Stacie is ready to graduate and look for something more morally balanced.

But for now, Aubrey just wants to live in the world where everything is good and where they're together.

So no, it's not really Stacie making Aubrey feel alone, though she's contributing to it a little. It's Chloe and her reluctance to leave Beca.

Aubrey understands completely. She does. But that doesn't mean she supports Chloe's (very conscious) decision to fail Russian Lit.

Most of all, she's hurt that Chloe isn't walking with her through graduation like they had talked about for years. Chloe was supposed to be her companion, someone she could talk to and actually have them relate to what she's going through. She's a little hurt that Chloe isn't going to experience what she is at the same time. Moving away from her support system, making a life of her own. It's selfish, she knows, but she is really going to miss Chloe.

Which is why she finds herself clinging to Chloe for all she's worth the night before she and Stacie drive up to DC.

"It's not like we aren't going to see each other in a month, Bree," Chloe tries to reassure her, rubbing her back lightly.

"That's a month away," she all but whines. It's unbecoming, her behavior. It's just that… she's really going to miss her best friend. And also she's slightly terrified of moving to a city where she doesn't know anyone or anything, and Chloe's hugs always make her feel better.

"This is disgusting," she hears Beca say from where she's perched on the couch with Stacie. They're all tired after helping Aubrey pack the car, and after coming back into the apartment Beca and Stacie almost immediately collapsed onto the couch, where they are still seated.

Aubrey, ignoring Beca's comment, only clings tighter to Chloe.

"No, it's sweet," Stacie supplies, not taking her eyes off the nail she's filing. Beca scoffs, and with a sigh Aubrey reluctantly lets Chloe go.

Almost immediately Stacie is up and clinging to Aubrey while Chloe takes her place on the couch next to Beca.

"What's this for?" Aubrey murmurs into Stacie's neck. It's not that she minds, not at all. But they do have to actually make or order food before Beca starts to complain about her stomach eating itself.

"You didn't look like you were ready to let go yet." Stacie shrugs, and Aubrey allows her to hold her for another minute before reluctantly backing away.

It's small gestures like this that simultaneously make Aubrey's insides feel like they're glowing and being ripped apart. How is she going to be able to handle the distance between them when she had just found out how amazing it is to actually be with her.

The past few weeks have been more amazing than Aubrey had ever thought possible. She's never been in a relationship – familial, platonic, or romantic – that has been so easy. Being with Stacie was some overused, clichéd, saying, like as easy as drinking water, or as easy as breathing. And it was both. It was also as refreshing and nourishing and so much more fulfilling than any relationship Aubrey's been a part of. It amazes her that she was able to live without it for so long.

She doesn't know how she lived without Stacie's doodles on her wrist, or sweet reminders on her arm. She didn't realize how much she missed out on before, and now that she has it, she can't believe she's walking away from it.

So when she's laying in bed later, head resting comfortably on Stacie's chest, and fingers tracing gentle patterns on her stomach under her tank top, she decides she doesn't want to leave Stacie here without a piece of her.

"Baby," she says, voice soft in the darkness of the room. She doesn't know if Stacie's fallen asleep yet, and if she has, she doesn't want to wake her. At the same time, she also wants, _needs_ , to make sure Stacie knows that even if Aubrey isn't here with her, there are still places Stacie can go where Aubrey is. Or at least her presence.

She starts to think Stacie's asleep and considers getting up for one last walk around campus, too anxious to go to sleep just yet, when Stacie sighs and hums, placing her hand over Aubrey's on her stomach.

"Tomorrow morning, I'd like to take you somewhere but it is a bit out of the way… are you okay with leaving at 6 instead of 7?"

"That's so early," Stacie whines, voice thick with sleep. Aubrey isn't sure if any of this conversation will be recollected in the morning, but she figures if she gets up early enough and makes strong enough coffee, Stacie won't be able to gripe at her for long.

"I'll make it worth your while."

Another sigh and Stacie turns in to Aubrey, snuggling closer. "M'kay," She agrees before her breathing evens out again.

In the morning, Aubrey is the first up, having had trouble getting and staying asleep. She quickly and quietly gets dressed, letting Stacie sleep until she absolutely has to wake up.

She gently closes her bedroom door and makes her way to the kitchen to start on the coffee. She turns around, leaning against the counter as her coffee brews and takes in one last familiar view of her apartment.

It's something she's grown used to over the three years she's lived here, and something she's never quite gotten tired of. She's always loved early morning the best; watching the sunrise, listening to the birds wake up, taking in the particular quiet of the morning that doesn't seem to exist at any other time of the day. It's why she wakes up early to run, and it's why she wants to bring Stacie to the campsite so early.

It's just after 5:30 when she wakes Stacie and urges her to get dressed. She's a little sad to see Stacie put on pants, very much liking her in the long t-shirt and underwear. It's a good look and Aubrey is disappointed that Stacie has to cover it up.

They quietly leave the apartment, not waking Chloe and Beca and start the drive.

Though she insists she's going to stay awake, Stacie conks out about thirty miles from Atlanta. Aubrey doesn't mind in the latest though. She gets to enjoy the sunrise and the occasional glances to Stacie.

When they're five miles from the camp ground, Stacie wakes up, stretching and groaning before looking around.

"Where are we?" She asks, a sleepy lilt to her voice despite the alertness in her eyes.

Aubrey glances over at Stacie, a smile playing on her lips and excitement bubbling in her chest.

"About a half hour north of Augusta."

Stacie groans and settles back into her seat, looking out the window. "Why?"

Aubrey slows down and pulls into the well-hidden side road that will lead them to the campground. She glances at Stacie before throwing out a quick smirk.

"Well this is obviously where I kill you."

Stacie, obviously catching on to Aubrey's mood, snorts. "You would lose in a fight, Bree."

Aubrey scoffs. "What makes you so sure?"

She parks her car, shutting off the engine and facing Stacie fully.

Stacie though, just winks and unbuckles her seatbelt before leaning forward and attaching their lips softly. "Because," she says, her voice a mere whisper. Her hand trails up Aubrey's arm, leaving goose bumps behind, and Stacie smiles at Aubrey's shaky inhale. "I know your weaknesses."

Before Aubrey can gather herself enough to respond, Stacie is opening her door and getting out. Aubrey quickly follows behind, almost forgetting to unbuckle her own seatbelt in her haste to get to Stacie.

"So really, where are we?" Stacie asks again when Aubrey joins her on the shore to the lake.

"My favorite place in the world."

She doesn't look at Stacie as she says this, instead choosing to take in the scenery and breathe in the fresh air. She tells Stacie about how she'd found it and how whenever she needed a breather she'd come here. She tells her about how she came here after semi-finals and how it helped her gain clarity over their relationship.

They end up staying at the campground for most of the morning, sitting in the shade of one of the trees and talking about anything and everything. Aubrey doesn't know if she's ever been happier. She's so calm and relaxed sitting with Stacie's head on her lap, gently brushing her fingers through the soft, thick, waves, and talking about their dreams and goals for the future.

It's them figuring their life out, one step at a time. It's Aubrey admitting her weaknesses and allowing Stacie to see her vulnerable in ways nobody has ever seen. She tells her why she's scared to leave Barden, why she's not as excited as she thought she would be.

Stacie, for her part, reminds Aubrey of their plan. How neither one of them is going to let this relationship fizzle, even a little bit. She reminds Aubrey that they will see each other every break from school and will Skype constantly.

It's reassuring and Aubrey isn't sure if she could ever love Stacie more. It's only when Stacie reluctantly reminds Aubrey about their schedule that they get up to leave.

When they're pulling out of the driveway, however, Stacie spots something being taken over by the bushes on the roadside.

Aubrey stops the car and watches as Stacie gets out and pushes the leaves from the sign. She can't make out what it says, but when Stacie starts squealing and jumping in excitement, Aubrey quickly gets out of the car and joins her girlfriend.

"What's going on?" She asks as she gets out of the car.

"Babe, look!" Stacie says gesturing excitedly to the sign.

Aubrey's eyes widen as she takes in the for sale sign. And all at once it feels like the ground is falling out beneath her. How can her favorite place just all of a sudden not be accessible anymore? What if somebody buys it and develops it, knocking down all the trees and filling in the lake?

"Wait," Stacie says, eyebrows scrunching in confusion at Aubrey's unenthusiastic reaction. "What's wrong? Why are you not excited about this?"

Aubrey shakes her head and wipes away the tears gathering at her eyelids. "It's nothing." She almost makes the words out normally, but she knows Stacie caught the slight waver in her voice when she glares at her. "It's just," she takes a deep breath, trying to control her emotions. "Somebody is going to buy it and completely ruin it."

"Oh," Stacie's eyes light up in understanding before she gathers Aubrey into a hug. She holds her for a few minutes until Aubrey feels like she can handle herself and pulls back.

"Let's buy it then," Stacie suggests nonchalantly, already on her phone dialing the phone number of the real estate agent.

"What? Stacie how are we going to afford this?"

Stacie just shushes her, waving her hand at her to shoo her away, and talks to the agent, agreeing to meet her back in Augusta in an hour.

"We both have savings, love," Stacie says, to her after hanging up. "Plus, you have your trust fund, and we can always get a loan. It'll be fun. We can always clean it up a little and use it for Bellas getaways, too."

Aubrey considers it for a minute before nodding reluctantly. She hadn't really wanted to dip into her trust fund, but she knows that there's more money in there than she'll ever need. She figures, however, that she can probably make up most of the money she's putting up in the next year. Plus, the thought of owning something with Stacie makes her stomach flutter in a way that's becoming increasingly familiar but still so wonderful.

"Okay," she agrees, a wide smile breaking out.

"Okay?!" Stacie holds up her hands, clasped together, as if she's holding all of her excitement, and if she opens them it'll fly out and coat them like glitter.

"Okay," Aubrey says again with a laugh. Stacie launches herself at Aubrey, hugging her and squealing.

They make their way back into town, meeting with the agent and grabbing a hotel room for the night. Their trip ends up getting delayed by another two days, but when they finally arrive to Washington D.C., both are the proud owners of 53 acres of property in Georgia.

Aubrey did have to explain to her father, who called after seeing a good chunk of her trust fund had been withdrawn, that she did not spend it on frivolous belongings, but rather on something she knows he would approve of. Mr. Posen is not someone that enjoys nature, per se, but as gruff as he is, Aubrey knows he wants to see her happy. Plus, he explains later, property is one of the most sound investments she could make.

They spend their days in D.C. settling in to Aubrey's condo, unpacking and turning the house into a home. Aubrey makes sure Stacie leaves small touches around, insisting, to Stacie's protests, that even if she isn't living there, Aubrey still wants little bits of Stacie to be present. The house quickly grows comfortable and homey, and both Aubrey and Stacie relish in coming home to it.

The rest of their days pass with trips to the monuments, nearby parks and hiking places, and even the Smithsonian, though that took an entire week to get through.

Their month of domestic bliss passes quickly, and before they know it, they're back in Atlanta, gathering the Bellas to rehearse for their three-week victory tour.

It's like coming home after a long trip, and the girls and music bring Aubrey back to herself. She focuses and gets down to work, molding and shaping the girls back into the group that won the National championships.

Of course, she lets Beca have control of the music and they end up rocking their performances, gathering more attention and sponsorships for the Barden Bellas as they go. And Aubrey knows that Beca will continue the legacy and make sure the Bellas remain at the top.

And as she finishes her final performance with the Barden Bellas, Aubrey doesn't feel sad at all. She looks around at the group of girls that has become her family, and she can't feel anything but happiness and love. Especially, when after everyone calms down a little, she finds her soulmate directly in front of her, smiling and giddy.

She lets Stacie take her hand and lead her off the stage, and she knows, as surely as she has ever known in her life, that she will never be happier than she is with her soul mate by her side.


End file.
